Namibia’s Population Soars to Three Million

Recent data has revealed that Namibia’s population has hit 3,022,401, as announced by the Namibian Statistician General, Alex Shimuafeni, during the launch of the census preliminary report.

According to the report, the new record was 909,324 more than the 2.1 million registered in 2011, representing an annual growth rate of about three per cent, the highest since independence in 1990.

In 1991, officials conducted the first complete census, counting a total of 1.4 million people. This was followed by the second census in 2001, which recorded a population of 1.8 million. The most recent census, conducted in 2011, revealed a population of 2.1 million.

However, the annual population growth rate in 2011-2023 was double that of 2001-2011’s rate of 1.4 percent, Shimuafeni said, estimating that at this rate, by the year 2050, the population of Namibia would be over 6 million, all things being equal.

The report also highlighted a significant urban population growth of 65.5 per cent between 2011 and 2023, whereas rural areas saw a more modest increase of 26.3 per cent during the same period.

Namibia’s population by gender showed that females made up a greater proportion of the population in the 2023 Population and Housing Census with a percentage of 51.2 per cent when compared to the male population of 48.8 per cent. According to Shimuafeni, this has been the trend for the past four censuses.

The population has grown almost twofold since the first post-independence census was conducted in 1991.

Females make up a greater proportion of the population in the 2023 PHC as has been the trend for the past four censuses.

Average household size, which has been on the decline since 1991, is 3.8 persons per household, he said.

This census marked the fourth population survey since Namibia gained independence in 1990 and is notably, the first digital census in the country, integrating spatial technology.

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