Share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required in Namibia
Namibia: Share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required was 11.5% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required in Namibia, 2003–2022
Source: Harvard Medical School Program in Global Surgery and Social Change (PGSSC), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of people at risk.
Analysis
Namibia recorded 11.5% for share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 14 years on record.
That represents a change of down 7.3% on the previous year and down 43.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required in Namibia peaked at 22.3% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 11.5%, in 2022.
Namibia ranks 67th of 134 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 14 years of available data.
Share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required in Namibia, year by year
| Year | % of people at risk | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 22.3% | — |
| 2004 | 21.2% | -4.9% |
| 2009 | 18.4% | -13.2% |
| 2010 | 20.1% | +9.2% |
| 2011 | 20.4% | +1.5% |
| 2012 | 20.2% | -1.0% |
| 2013 | 18.4% | -8.9% |
| 2014 | 17.3% | -6.0% |
| 2015 | 12.2% | -29.5% |
| 2018 | 12.8% | +4.9% |
| 2019 | 12.8% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 13.2% | +3.1% |
| 2021 | 12.4% | -6.1% |
| 2022 | 11.5% | -7.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 20.6% | 18.4% | 22.3% | 3 |
| 2010s | 16.8% | 12.2% | 20.4% | 8 |
| 2020s | 12.4% | 11.5% | 13.2% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Namibia
- 64 Chile 13.8% compare
- 65 Tunisia 13.6% compare
- 66 El Salvador 13.3% compare
- 67 South Africa 11.5% compare
- 69 Malaysia 11.3% compare
- 70 Algeria 10.8% compare
- 70 Russian Federation 10.8% compare
- 70 Seychelles 10.8% compare
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 share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required in Namibia?
- Share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required in Namibia was 11.5% in 2022, according to Harvard Medical School Program in Global Surgery and Social Change (PGSSC), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required recorded in Namibia?
- The highest recorded value was 22.3% in 2003.
- What is the lowest share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required recorded in Namibia?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.5% in 2022.
- How does Namibia rank for share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required?
- Namibia ranks 67th out of 134 countries with data for 2022.
- Is share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required rising or falling in Namibia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 43.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Namibia data come from?
- The figures 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 part of Share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Catastrophic expenditure is defined as direct out-of-pocket payments for surgical and anaesthesia care exceeding 10% of total income.