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MacroNamibia

Unemployment rate in Namibia

How hard is it to have a job there?

Namibia's unemployment rate is 19.29 % — #122 of 124 countries on the atlas (lower is better). Period 2025.

19.29%

Checked 8 Sept 2026Period 2025

Source: World Bank open data (GDP growth, GDP/capita, unemployment, government debt)

Unemployment rate in Namibia over time

23.35 %20.06 %16.77 %23.35 % · 201616.77 % · 20122000: 20.30 %2001: 21.01 %2002: 21.54 %2003: 22.10 %2004: 22.09 %2005: 22.11 %2006: 21.85 %2007: 22.12 %2008: 22.00 %2009: 22.27 %2010: 22.12 %2011: 19.48 %2012: 16.77 %2013: 19.03 %2014: 18.52 %2015: 20.79 %2016: 23.35 %2017: 21.75 %2018: 19.88 %2019: 19.93 %2020: 21.00 %2021: 20.93 %2022: 19.61 %2023: 19.15 %2024: 19.16 %2025: 19.29 %20002012202519.29 %
26 official observations, 2000 → 2025. Every point is a published value — never interpolated.
Rank
#122 of 124
lower is better
Ranked behind
2 %
2 of 124 countries
Latest move
▲ 0.13 pp
since 2024
Below its peak
4.06 pp
peak 23.35 % in 2016
Full series
▼ 1.01 pp
since 2000

In Africa: #19 of 21vs median 5.25 %: +14.04 pp (worse)

Among 124 countries

6 of 124 countries between 0.78 % and 1.53 %6 of 124 countries between 1.53 % and 2.28 %12 of 124 countries between 2.28 % and 3.03 %16 of 124 countries between 3.03 % and 3.78 %7 of 124 countries between 3.78 % and 4.53 %15 of 124 countries between 4.53 % and 5.28 %14 of 124 countries between 5.28 % and 6.02 %7 of 124 countries between 6.02 % and 6.77 %6 of 124 countries between 6.77 % and 7.52 %2 of 124 countries between 7.52 % and 8.27 %10 of 124 countries between 8.27 % and 9.02 %3 of 124 countries between 9.02 % and 9.77 %3 of 124 countries between 9.77 % and 10.52 %2 of 124 countries between 10.52 % and 11.27 %3 of 124 countries between 11.27 % and 12.02 %1 of 124 countries between 12.02 % and 12.77 %1 of 124 countries between 12.77 % and 13.51 %2 of 124 countries between 13.51 % and 14.26 %1 of 124 countries between 14.26 % and 15.01 %2 of 124 countries between 15.01 % and 15.76 %1 of 124 countries between 16.51 % and 17.26 %4 of 124 countries between 18.01 % and 18.76 %median 5.23 %Namibia: ahead of 2 % of the 124 countries with a published unemploymentNamibia 19.29 % →0.78 %18.76 %
Half of all 124 countries sit between 3.30 % and 8.30 %. Namibia is ahead of 2 % of them. Axis trimmed to the 2nd–98th percentile; 5 values beyond it sit in the end bars.

The neighbourhood

#CountryUnemploymentvs Namibia
120 Jordan16.54 %−2.76 pp
121 Libya18.76 %−0.53 pp
122 Namibia19.29 %—
123 Botswana24.48 %+5.19 pp
124 South Africa32.39 %+13.10 pp

Unemployment, share of the labour force (World Bank / ILO estimate).

How to read this figure

Share of the labour force without work but actively seeking it (World Bank / ILO harmonised estimate). People outside the labour force — students, carers, the discouraged — are not counted.

Next, about Namibia

GDP growthGDP per capita
Unemployment rate, all countries ranked →Compare Namibia with another country →Everything about Namibia →
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