Employment to population ratio in Namibia
Namibia: Employment to population ratio was 47.49 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
47.49
Change on year
down 0.2%
World rank
154th
of 186 countries
All-time high
49.96
in 2013
All-time low
40.42
in 1997
Years of data
35
1991–2025
Employment to population ratio in Namibia, 1991–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Namibia recorded 47.49 for employment to population ratio 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 to population ratio in Namibia peaked at 49.96 in 2013 and was at its lowest, 40.42, 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.
Employment to population ratio in Namibia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 44.55 | — |
| 1992 | 44.68 | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 44.58 | -0.2% |
| 1994 | 44.39 | -0.4% |
| 1995 | 42.91 | -3.3% |
| 1996 | 41.69 | -2.9% |
| 1997 | 40.42 | -3.0% |
| 1998 | 41.31 | +2.2% |
| 1999 | 42.24 | +2.2% |
| 2000 | 43.14 | +2.1% |
| 2001 | 42.98 | -0.4% |
| 2002 | 42.92 | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 42.83 | -0.2% |
| 2004 | 43.06 | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 43.27 | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 43.64 | +0.8% |
| 2007 | 43.71 | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 43.99 | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 44.06 | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 44.37 | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 46.1 | +3.9% |
| 2012 | 47.88 | +3.9% |
| 2013 | 49.96 | +4.3% |
| 2014 | 49.56 | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 48.03 | -3.1% |
| 2016 | 46.34 | -3.5% |
| 2017 | 46.69 | +0.8% |
| 2018 | 47.17 | +1.0% |
| 2019 | 47.18 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 44.22 | -6.3% |
| 2021 | 44.66 | +1.0% |
| 2022 | 47.35 | +6.0% |
| 2023 | 47.62 | +0.6% |
| 2024 | 47.59 | -0.1% |
| 2025 | 47.49 | -0.2% |
Namibia compared with similar countries
- Namibia's 47.49 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 54.36, 87% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Namibia's 47.49 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 58.81, 81% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 42.97 | 40.42 | 44.68 | 9 |
| 2000s | 43.36 | 42.83 | 44.06 | 10 |
| 2010s | 47.33 | 44.37 | 49.96 | 10 |
| 2020s | 46.49 | 44.22 | 47.62 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Namibia
More work & labour data for Namibia
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.0916 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.0906 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.0929 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -0.3746 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 1.88 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 3,116 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 1,223 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 3,070 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 2,828 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 5,898 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment to population ratio in Namibia?
- Employment to population ratio in Namibia was 47.49 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest employment to population ratio recorded in Namibia?
- The highest recorded value was 49.96 in 2013.
- What is the lowest employment to population ratio recorded in Namibia?
- The lowest recorded value was 40.42 in 1997.
- How does Namibia rank for employment to population ratio?
- Namibia ranks 154th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment to population ratio 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 Our World in Data, published as part of Employment to population ratio. 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).