Share of population with access to basic handwashing facilities in Namibia

Namibia: Share of population with access to basic handwashing facilities was 44.6% in 2017. ▲ Rising

Latest (2017)
44.6%
Change on year
up 0.8%
World rank
78th
of 120 countries
All-time high
44.6%
in 2017
All-time low
41.7%
in 2009
Years of data
9
2009–2017

Share of population with access to basic handwashing facilities in Namibia, 2009–2017

0102030402009201320172009: 41.7 %2010: 42 %2011: 42.4 %2012: 42.7 %2013: 43.1 %2014: 43.5 %2015: 43.9 %2016: 44.2 %2017: 44.6 %

Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

Namibia recorded 44.6% for share of population with access to basic handwashing facilities in 2017. That is the highest value across all 9 years on record.

That represents a change of up 0.8% on the previous year and up 7.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population with access to basic handwashing facilities in Namibia peaked at 44.6% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 41.7%, in 2009.

Namibia ranks 78th of 120 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

Share of population with access to basic handwashing facilities in Namibia, year by year

Annual values for Share of population with access to basic handwashing facilities in Namibia, 2009 to 2017.
Year % Change
2009 41.7% —
2010 42.0% +0.9%
2011 42.4% +0.8%
2012 42.7% +0.9%
2013 43.1% +0.9%
2014 43.5% +0.9%
2015 43.9% +0.9%
2016 44.2% +0.8%
2017 44.6% +0.8%

Namibia compared with similar countries

  • Namibia's 44.6% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 45.5%, 98% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
  • Namibia's 44.6% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 22.2%, 2.0× the median. (44 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 41.7% 41.7% 41.7% 1
2010s 43.3% 42.0% 44.6% 8

Countries ranked near Namibia

  1. 75 Congo 48.2% compare
  2. 76 Gabon 48.2%
  3. 77 Ghana 45.5% compare
  4. 79 South Africa 44.4% compare
  5. 80 Zimbabwe 42.5% compare
  6. 81 Mauritania 40.7% compare

See the full ranking of 120 places →

More population data for Namibia

All data for Namibia →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population with access to basic handwashing facilities in Namibia?
Share of population with access to basic handwashing facilities in Namibia was 44.6% in 2017, according to WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of population with access to basic handwashing facilities recorded in Namibia?
The highest recorded value was 44.6% in 2017.
What is the lowest share of population with access to basic handwashing facilities recorded in Namibia?
The lowest recorded value was 41.7% in 2009.
How does Namibia rank for share of population with access to basic handwashing facilities?
Namibia ranks 78th out of 120 countries with data for 2017.
Is share of population with access to basic handwashing facilities rising or falling in Namibia?
Over the last ten years it is up 7.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Namibia data come from?
The figures come from WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population with access to basic handwashing facilities. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of population with access to basic handwashing facilities in Namibia. Statizoid, drawing on WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 25 September 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/proportion-of-population-with-basic-handwashing-facilities-on-premises/namibia/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of population with access to basic handwashing facilities
Unit
%
Source
WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
120 places, 1,792 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed

Proportion of people with access to a handwashing facility with soap and water available at home.