Namibia — Country Profile
Population, GDP, natural resources, leaders and history of Namibia: the Magna Factbook country file, with its Magna Power score (--/100, ranked #-- of 195).
Last updated: October 2026
Namibia is in Southern Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and South Africa. It covers 824,292 sq km. Terrain: mostly high plateau; Namib Desert along coast; Kalahari Desert in east. Climate: desert; hot, dry; rainfall sparse and erratic.
| Capital | Windhoek |
|---|---|
| Population | 2,852,777 (2025 est.) |
| GDP (PPP) | $31.154 billion (2024 est.) |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $10,300 (2024 est.) |
| Real GDP growth | 3.7% (2024 est.) |
| Inflation | 4.2% (2024 est.) |
| Unemployment | 19.2% (2024 est.) |
| Public debt | 4.64% of GDP (2019 est.) |
| Exports | $5.887 billion (2024 est.) |
| Imports | $9.199 billion (2024 est.) |
| Life expectancy | 65.9 years (2024 est.) |
| Median age | 23.1 years (2025 est.) |
| Urbanization | 54.9% of total population (2023) |
| Government | presidential republic |
| Independence | 21 March 1990 (from South African mandate) |
| Languages | Oshiwambo languages 49.7%, Nama/Damara 11%, Kavango languages 10.4%, Afrikaans 9.4%, Herero languages 9.2%, Zambezi languages 4.9%, English (official) 2.3%, other African languages 1.5%, other European languages 0.7%, other 1% (2016 est.) |
Namibia’s GDP is $31.154 billion (2024 est.) in purchasing-power-parity terms. At official exchange rates it stands at $13.372 billion (2024 est.). Real GDP grew 3.7% (2024 est.). See where Namibia ranks among all 195 countries by GDP.
POWER --/100 — The Magna Power score is our 0–100 composite of structural national power — nine components, 135 indicators. It is the Bureau's own assessment, not a mirror of World Bank or CIA figures.
Momentum 0 — Quarterly momentum: the Bureau's read on the country's trajectory over the last quarter, from −10 (deteriorating fast) to +10 (accelerating).
The quarter passed without decisive turns. Governance continued, markets functioned, and the score reflects that uneventfulness.
For countries like this, the real story is always the slow one — and this quarter added no new chapter to it.
- What our model rewards: public debt under 5% of GDP — room to maneuver; 98% of its electricity from low-carbon sources
- What drags it down: unemployment at 19.2%; a current-account deficit of $2 billion (15.4% of GDP) — living beyond its means
Diamonds, Copper, Uranium, Gold, Silver, Lead, Tin, Lithium, Tungsten, Zinc, Salt, Hydropower.
Energy is the physical base of economic power — what a country can generate, move and burn decides what it can build, sell and defend.
| Electricity access | 56.2% (2022 est.) |
|---|---|
| Installed capacity mix (CIA) | fossil fuels: 1.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); solar: 26.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); wind: 1.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); hydroelectricity: 70% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) |
| Energy consumption per capita (CIA) | 21.734 million Btu/person (2023 est.) |
| Primary energy consumption (OWID) | 18.9 TWh (2023) |
| Electricity generation (OWID) | 1.9 TWh (2023) |
| Energy per capita (OWID) | 6,370 kWh per person (2023) |
| Electricity generation mix (OWID) | Hydro 69.8%, Solar 27.0%, Coal 1.6%, Wind 1.1%, Oil 0.5% (2023) |
| Low-carbon share of electricity (OWID) | 97.9% (2023) |
| Carbon intensity of electricity (OWID) | 47.6 gCO2/kWh (2023) |
Sources: CIA World Factbook, Energy section; Our World in Data (IEA/Ember), 2023.
Trade shows what the world buys from a country and what the country must buy from the world — the balance between the two is a direct measure of economic leverage.
| Exports | $5.887 billion (2024 est.) |
|---|---|
| Imports | $9.199 billion (2024 est.) |
| Trade balance (calculated) | Deficit of $3.3 billion (2024), calculated from the CIA export and import figures above. |
| Key industries | mining, tourism, fishing, agriculture |
Source: CIA World Factbook, Economy section.
Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah — President. President Netumbo NANDI-NDAITWAH (since 21 March 2025)
Namibia maintains 30 embassies and 3 consulates abroad, hosts 33 foreign diplomatic missions, holds permanent missions to UN New York, AU Addis Ababa. The breadth of a diplomatic network is a direct measure of diplomatic power — it shows how far a country’s influence, alliances and interests reach.
| Embassies abroad | 30 |
|---|---|
| Consulates abroad | 3 |
| Foreign missions hosted | 33 |
| Multilateral missions | UN New York, AU Addis Ababa |
Source: Consular Affairs Center, Diplomatic and Consular Networks Database and Rankings, January 2026 (Zenodo, CC BY 4.0). https://zenodo.org/records/18109976
Transport networks are economic power made physical — ports, runways, railways and pipelines decide what a country can move, sell and defend.
| Sea access | Coastal — 1572 km of coastline. |
|---|---|
| Airports (total) | 259 + 1 heliports (registration prefix V5) |
| Major seaports | Luderitz Bay, Walvis Bay |
| Railways | 2628 km |
Major airports
Hosea Kutako International Airport (WDH) — Windhoek; Walvis Bay International Airport (WVB) — Walvis Bay(Rooikop); Eros Airport (ERS) — Windhoek; Katima Mulilo Airport (MPA) — Mpacha; Luderitz Airport (LUD) — Luderitz; Ondangwa Airport (OND) — Ondangwa; Oranjemund Airport (OMD) — Oranjemund; Rundu Airport (NDU) — Rundu.
Sources: OurAirports public-domain extract (2026-10-02); per-entry Wikipedia links included; CIA World Factbook via cia_factbook snapshot (2026-09-28)
| Political system | presidential republic |
|---|---|
| Next election | No election currently scheduled. |
POWER --/100 Ranked #-- of 195 countries in the Magna Country Rankings. Full ranking breakdown for Namibia.
Historical timeline of Namibia
This profile covers the population, economy, natural resources, leaders, and history of Namibia — with the Bureau’s live national-power score of --/100, ranking #-- of 195 countries.
What is Namibia's power score?
Namibia has a Magna Power score of --/100. The score measures structural power — the proven capacity to shape events — across nine components.