Employment rate in Namibia
Namibia: Employment rate was 47.5% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Employment rate in Namibia, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Namibia recorded 47.5% for employment rate in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.2% on the previous year and down 1.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment rate in Namibia peaked at 50.0% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 40.4%, in 1997.
That places Namibia 154th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 43.0% | 40.4% | 44.7% | 9 |
| 2000s | 43.4% | 42.8% | 44.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 47.3% | 44.4% | 50.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 46.5% | 44.2% | 47.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Namibia
More work & labour data for Namibia
- Legislation on sexual harassment in employment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Criminal sanctions or compensation for workplace sexual harassment 0 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Women can take the same jobs as men 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 58.8% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 63.0% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 87.1% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 54.9% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15-6 60.1% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 63.9% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 56.4% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment rate in Namibia?
- Employment rate in Namibia was 47.5% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest employment rate recorded in Namibia?
- The highest recorded value was 50.0% in 2013.
- What is the lowest employment rate recorded in Namibia?
- The lowest recorded value was 40.4% in 1997.
- How does Namibia rank for employment rate?
- Namibia ranks 154th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment rate rising or falling in Namibia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Namibia data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Employment rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of the working-age population (ages 15 and older) who are employed.