Birth rate in Namibia
Namibia: Birth rate was 25.89 births per 1,000 people in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
25.89 births per 1,000 people
Change on year
down 1.7%
World rank
50th
of 236 countries
All-time high
43.87 births per 1,000 people
in 1974
All-time low
25.89 births per 1,000 people
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Birth rate in Namibia, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in births per 1,000 people.
Analysis
Namibia recorded 25.89 births per 1,000 people for birth rate in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.7% on the previous year and down 17.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, birth rate in Namibia peaked at 43.87 births per 1,000 people in 1974 and was at its lowest, 25.89 births per 1,000 people, in 2023.
Namibia ranks 50th of 236 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Birth rate in Namibia, year by year
| Year | births per 1,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 40.97 births per 1,000 people | — |
| 1951 | 41.18 births per 1,000 people | +0.5% |
| 1952 | 41.33 births per 1,000 people | +0.4% |
| 1953 | 41.47 births per 1,000 people | +0.3% |
| 1954 | 41.56 births per 1,000 people | +0.2% |
| 1955 | 41.64 births per 1,000 people | +0.2% |
| 1956 | 41.69 births per 1,000 people | +0.1% |
| 1957 | 41.76 births per 1,000 people | +0.2% |
| 1958 | 41.91 births per 1,000 people | +0.4% |
| 1959 | 41.97 births per 1,000 people | +0.1% |
| 1960 | 42.09 births per 1,000 people | +0.3% |
| 1961 | 42.2 births per 1,000 people | +0.3% |
| 1962 | 42.4 births per 1,000 people | +0.5% |
| 1963 | 42.64 births per 1,000 people | +0.6% |
| 1964 | 42.67 births per 1,000 people | +0.1% |
| 1965 | 42.77 births per 1,000 people | +0.2% |
| 1966 | 42.92 births per 1,000 people | +0.4% |
| 1967 | 43.02 births per 1,000 people | +0.2% |
| 1968 | 43.22 births per 1,000 people | +0.5% |
| 1969 | 43.29 births per 1,000 people | +0.2% |
| 1970 | 43.45 births per 1,000 people | +0.4% |
| 1971 | 43.55 births per 1,000 people | +0.2% |
| 1972 | 43.73 births per 1,000 people | +0.4% |
| 1973 | 43.85 births per 1,000 people | +0.3% |
| 1974 | 43.87 births per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 43.72 births per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 1976 | 43.52 births per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 1977 | 42.81 births per 1,000 people | -1.6% |
| 1978 | 42.65 births per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 1979 | 40.84 births per 1,000 people | -4.2% |
| 1980 | 40.6 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1981 | 39.82 births per 1,000 people | -1.9% |
| 1982 | 38.45 births per 1,000 people | -3.5% |
| 1983 | 38.28 births per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 1984 | 38.29 births per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 38.32 births per 1,000 people | +0.1% |
| 1986 | 38.34 births per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 38.56 births per 1,000 people | +0.6% |
| 1988 | 38.73 births per 1,000 people | +0.4% |
| 1989 | 38.23 births per 1,000 people | -1.3% |
| 1990 | 40.96 births per 1,000 people | +7.1% |
| 1991 | 40.48 births per 1,000 people | -1.2% |
| 1992 | 39.27 births per 1,000 people | -3.0% |
| 1993 | 37.88 births per 1,000 people | -3.6% |
| 1994 | 36.27 births per 1,000 people | -4.2% |
| 1995 | 34.45 births per 1,000 people | -5.0% |
| 1996 | 32.95 births per 1,000 people | -4.4% |
| 1997 | 32.77 births per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 1998 | 32.9 births per 1,000 people | +0.4% |
| 1999 | 32.63 births per 1,000 people | -0.8% |
| 2000 | 31.61 births per 1,000 people | -3.1% |
| 2001 | 30.48 births per 1,000 people | -3.6% |
| 2002 | 29.64 births per 1,000 people | -2.8% |
| 2003 | 29.03 births per 1,000 people | -2.1% |
| 2004 | 28.92 births per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 2005 | 29.32 births per 1,000 people | +1.4% |
| 2006 | 29.73 births per 1,000 people | +1.4% |
| 2007 | 29.98 births per 1,000 people | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 30.27 births per 1,000 people | +1.0% |
| 2009 | 30.62 births per 1,000 people | +1.2% |
| 2010 | 31.01 births per 1,000 people | +1.3% |
| 2011 | 31.14 births per 1,000 people | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 31.35 births per 1,000 people | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 31.18 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 2014 | 31.01 births per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 2015 | 30.67 births per 1,000 people | -1.1% |
| 2016 | 30.31 births per 1,000 people | -1.2% |
| 2017 | 29.65 births per 1,000 people | -2.2% |
| 2018 | 29.07 births per 1,000 people | -2.0% |
| 2019 | 28.39 births per 1,000 people | -2.3% |
| 2020 | 27.69 births per 1,000 people | -2.5% |
| 2021 | 27.02 births per 1,000 people | -2.4% |
| 2022 | 26.34 births per 1,000 people | -2.5% |
| 2023 | 25.89 births per 1,000 people | -1.7% |
Namibia compared with similar countries
- Namibia's 25.89 births per 1,000 people is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 25.89 births per 1,000 people, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Namibia's 25.89 births per 1,000 people is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 31.17 births per 1,000 people, 83% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 41.55 births per 1,000 people | 40.97 births per 1,000 people | 41.97 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1960s | 42.72 births per 1,000 people | 42.09 births per 1,000 people | 43.29 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 43.2 births per 1,000 people | 40.84 births per 1,000 people | 43.87 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 38.76 births per 1,000 people | 38.23 births per 1,000 people | 40.6 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 36.06 births per 1,000 people | 32.63 births per 1,000 people | 40.96 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 29.96 births per 1,000 people | 28.92 births per 1,000 people | 31.61 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 30.38 births per 1,000 people | 28.39 births per 1,000 people | 31.35 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 26.74 births per 1,000 people | 25.89 births per 1,000 people | 27.69 births per 1,000 people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Namibia
More population data for Namibia
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.0916 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate 0.6736 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.0916 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.1475 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 3,780 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 1.52 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.4525 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth 0.1% (2100)
- Population density 7.16 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 357,079 people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is birth rate in Namibia?
- Birth rate in Namibia was 25.89 births per 1,000 people in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest birth rate recorded in Namibia?
- The highest recorded value was 43.87 births per 1,000 people in 1974.
- What is the lowest birth rate recorded in Namibia?
- The lowest recorded value was 25.89 births per 1,000 people in 2023.
- How does Namibia rank for birth rate?
- Namibia ranks 50th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is birth rate rising or falling in Namibia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Namibia data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Birth rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of live births in a year per 1,000 people in the population.