Namibia vs South Africa: Share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required
Namibia
11.5%
in 2022
South Africa
11.5%
in 2022
Namibia rank
67th
South Africa rank
67th
Share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required over time
- Namibia
- South Africa
How they compare
Namibia currently reports 11.5% against 11.5% in South Africa, a difference of 0.0%.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 12 shared years of data; in 2009 it was Namibia ahead.
Namibia ranks 67th and South Africa ranks 67th of 134 countries.
Namibia has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Namibia | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 18.4% | 10.5% | 7.9% | Namibia |
| 2010s | 16.8% | 12.4% | 4.4% | Namibia |
| 2020s | 12.4% | 11.7% | 0.7% | Namibia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required, Namibia or South Africa?
- Namibia, at 11.5% against 11.5% in South Africa as of 2022.
- What is the difference in share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required between Namibia and South Africa?
- 0.0%, with Namibia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Namibia and South Africa?
- 12 years are reported by both, from 2009 to 2022.
- How do Namibia and South Africa rank globally for share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required?
- Namibia ranks 67th and South Africa ranks 67th of 134 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Harvard Medical School Program in Global Surgery and Social Change (PGSSC), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Catastrophic expenditure is defined as direct out-of-pocket payments for surgical and anaesthesia care exceeding 10% of total income.