Unemployment rate women in Namibia
Namibia: Unemployment rate women was 18.4 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
18.4
Change on year
up 2.5%
World rank
18th
of 186 countries
All-time high
25.87
in 1997
All-time low
17.95
in 2023
Years of data
35
1991–2025
Unemployment rate women in Namibia, 1991–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for unemployment rate women in Namibia is 18.4, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of up 2.5% on the previous year and down 18.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment rate women in Namibia peaked at 25.87 in 1997 and was at its lowest, 17.95, in 2023.
That places Namibia 18th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Unemployment rate women in Namibia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 18.61 | — |
| 1992 | 19.12 | +2.7% |
| 1993 | 20.04 | +4.8% |
| 1994 | 21.13 | +5.4% |
| 1995 | 22.98 | +8.8% |
| 1996 | 24.37 | +6.1% |
| 1997 | 25.87 | +6.2% |
| 1998 | 24.48 | -5.4% |
| 1999 | 23.05 | -5.9% |
| 2000 | 21.66 | -6.0% |
| 2001 | 22.81 | +5.3% |
| 2002 | 23.78 | +4.2% |
| 2003 | 24.78 | +4.2% |
| 2004 | 25.13 | +1.4% |
| 2005 | 24.96 | -0.7% |
| 2006 | 24.48 | -1.9% |
| 2007 | 24.59 | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 24.27 | -1.3% |
| 2009 | 24.36 | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 24.01 | -1.5% |
| 2011 | 21.55 | -10.3% |
| 2012 | 19 | -11.8% |
| 2013 | 20.7 | +9.0% |
| 2014 | 20.38 | -1.6% |
| 2015 | 22.55 | +10.6% |
| 2016 | 25.02 | +10.9% |
| 2017 | 21.93 | -12.3% |
| 2018 | 18.58 | -15.3% |
| 2019 | 18.62 | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 19.43 | +4.3% |
| 2021 | 19.39 | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 18.37 | -5.3% |
| 2023 | 17.95 | -2.3% |
| 2024 | 17.95 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 18.4 | +2.5% |
Namibia compared with similar countries
- Namibia's 18.4 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 5.5, 3.3× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Namibia's 18.4 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 6.12, 3.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 22.18 | 18.61 | 25.87 | 9 |
| 2000s | 24.08 | 21.66 | 25.13 | 10 |
| 2010s | 21.24 | 18.58 | 25.02 | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.58 | 17.95 | 19.43 | 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 unemployment rate women in Namibia?
- Unemployment rate women in Namibia was 18.4 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest unemployment rate women recorded in Namibia?
- The highest recorded value was 25.87 in 1997.
- What is the lowest unemployment rate women recorded in Namibia?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.95 in 2023.
- How does Namibia rank for unemployment rate women?
- Namibia ranks 18th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment rate women rising or falling in Namibia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Namibia data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Unemployment rate women. 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).