Share of population living in rural areas in Namibia

Namibia: Share of population living in rural areas was 58.24 in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
58.24
World rank
14th
of 229 countries
All-time high
79.95
in 1955
All-time low
58.24
in 2020
Years of data
15
1950–2020

Share of population living in rural areas in Namibia, 1950–2020

0204060801950198520201950: 79.91955: 79.91960: 79.71965: 791970: 77.91975: 76.41980: 75.61985: 73.31990: 731995: 70.82000: 68.12005: 65.82010: 62.62015: 59.52020: 58.2

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2020, share of population living in rural areas in Namibia stood at 58.24. That is the lowest value across all 15 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 7.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population living in rural areas in Namibia peaked at 79.95 in 1955 and was at its lowest, 58.24, in 2020.

Namibia ranks 14th of 229 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.

Share of population living in rural areas in Namibia, year by year

Annual values for Share of population living in rural areas in Namibia, 1950 to 2020.
Year Value Change
1950 79.94
1955 79.95 +0.0%
1960 79.73 -0.3%
1965 79.02 -0.9%
1970 77.85 -1.5%
1975 76.41 -1.8%
1980 75.59 -1.1%
1985 73.28 -3.1%
1990 73.03 -0.3%
1995 70.83 -3.0%
2000 68.1 -3.9%
2005 65.79 -3.4%
2010 62.63 -4.8%
2015 59.53 -5.0%
2020 58.24 -2.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 79.94 79.94 79.95 2
1960s 79.37 79.02 79.73 2
1970s 77.13 76.41 77.85 2
1980s 74.44 73.28 75.59 2
1990s 71.93 70.83 73.03 2
2000s 66.94 65.79 68.1 2
2010s 61.08 59.53 62.63 2
2020s 58.24 58.24 58.24 1

Countries ranked near Namibia

  1. 11 Lesotho 62.26 compare
  2. 12 Faroe Islands 62.18 compare
  3. 13 Palau 60.71 compare
  4. 15 Saint Kitts and Nevis 57.76 compare
  5. 16 Greenland 57.46 compare
  6. 17 Madagascar 57.12 compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More population data for Namibia

All data for Namibia →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population living in rural areas in Namibia?
Share of population living in rural areas in Namibia was 58.24 in 2020, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of population living in rural areas recorded in Namibia?
The highest recorded value was 79.95 in 1955.
What is the lowest share of population living in rural areas recorded in Namibia?
The lowest recorded value was 58.24 in 2020.
How does Namibia rank for share of population living in rural areas?
Namibia ranks 14th out of 229 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of population living in rural areas rising or falling in Namibia?
Over the last ten years it is down 7.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Namibia data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of population living in rural areas in Namibia. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 August 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-population-living-in-rural-areas/namibia/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of population living in rural areas
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 3,540 data points, 1950–2020
Last refreshed