Rural population in Namibia
Namibia: Rural population was 49.1% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Rural population in Namibia, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for rural population in Namibia is 49.1%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.9% on the previous year and down 9.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Namibia peaked at 76.6% in 1960 and was at its lowest, 49.1%, in 2025.
That places Namibia 63rd out of 215 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 75.8% | 75.1% | 76.6% | 10 |
| 1970s | 74.7% | 74.4% | 75.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 73.9% | 73.3% | 74.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 71.3% | 68.6% | 73.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 63.8% | 59.1% | 67.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 54.9% | 52.0% | 58.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 50.3% | 49.1% | 51.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Namibia
- 60 Guinea-Bissau 53.3% compare
- 61 Turkmenistan 52.9% compare
- 62 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 52.0% compare
- 64 Uzbekistan 49.0% compare
- 65 Isle of Man 47.9% compare
- 66 Romania 47.8% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Namibia
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.9% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.5% (2024)
- Rural population growth 1.1% (2025)
- Rural population 1.52 million (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 7.0% (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 1.05 billion current US$ (2025)
- Land under cereal production 339,089 hectares (2023)
- Cereal yield 451.2 kg per hectare (2023)
- Cereal production 153,012 metric tons (2023)
- Fertilizer consumption 27.07 kilograms per hectare of arable land (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Namibia?
- Rural population in Namibia was 49.1% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Namibia?
- The highest recorded value was 76.6% in 1960.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Namibia?
- The lowest recorded value was 49.1% in 2025.
- How does Namibia rank for rural population?
- Namibia ranks 63rd out of 215 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Namibia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Namibia data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Rural population (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population.