Map of Namibia | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: Various ethnic groups occupied southwestern Africa prior to Germany establishing a colony over most of the territory in 1884. South Africa occupied the colony, then known as German South West Africa, in 1915 during World War I and administered it as a mandate until after World War II, when it annexed the territory. In 1966, the Marxist South-West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) guerrilla group launched a war of independence for the area that became Namibia, but it was not until 1988 that South Africa agreed to end its administration in accordance with a UN peace plan for the entire region. Namibia gained independence in 1990 and has been governed by SWAPO since, though the party has dropped much of its Marxist ideology. President Hage GEINGOB was elected in 2014 in a landslide victory, replacing Hifikepunye POHAMBA who stepped down after serving two terms. SWAPO retained its parliamentary super majority in the 2014 elections. In 2019 elections, GEINGOB was reelected but by a substantially reduced majority and SWAPO narrowly lost its super majority in parliament. 


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Location: Southern Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and South Africa

Geographic coordinates: 22 00 S, 17 00 E

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 824,292 km²
Land: 823,290 km²
Water: 1,002 km²
Comparative: almost seven times the size of Pennsylvania; slightly more than half the size of Alaska

Land boundaries
Total: 4,220 km
Border countries: (4) Angola 1,427 km; Botswana 1,544 km; South Africa 1,005 km; Zambia 244 km

Coastline: 1,572 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguouszone: 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate: desert; hot, dry; rainfall sparse and erratic

Terrain: mostly high plateau; Namib Desert along coast; Kalahari Desert in east

Elevation
Highest point: Konigstein on Brandberg 2,573 m
Lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
Mean elevation: 1,141 m

Natural resources: diamonds, copper, uranium, gold, silver, lead, tin, lithium, cadmium, tungsten, zinc, salt, hydropower, fish, note, suspected deposits of oil, coal, and iron ore

Land use
Agricultural land: 47.2% (2018 est.)
Forest: 8.8% (2018 est.)
Other: 44% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land: 80 km² (2012)

Major rivers
By length in km: Zambezi (shared with Zambia [s]), Angola, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique [m]) - 2,740 km; Orange river mouth (shared with Lesotho [s], and South Africa) - 2,092 km; Okavango (shared with Angola [s], and Botswana [m]) - 1,600 km


Major watersheds area km²: Atlantic Ocean drainage: Orange (941,351 km²)
Indian Ocean drainage: Zambezi (1,332,412 km²)
Internal (endorheic basin) drainage: Okavango Basin (863,866 km²)

Total water withdrawal
Municipal: 73 million cubic meters (2017 est.)
Industrial: 14 million cubic meters (2017 est.)
Agricultural: 201 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

Total renewable water resources: 39.91 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)

Natural hazards: prolonged periods of drought

Geography
Note: the Namib Desert, after which the country is named, is considered to be the oldest desert in the world; Namibia is the first country in the world to incorporate the protection of the environment into its constitution; some 14% of the land is protected, including virtually the entire Namib Desert coastal strip; Namib-Naukluft National Park (49,768 km²), is the largest game park in Africa and one of the largest in the world


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Population
Distribution: population density is very low, with the largest clustering found in the extreme north-central area along the border with Angola : 2,727,409 (2022 est.)
Growth rate: 1.82% (2022 est.)
Below poverty line: 17.4% (2015 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Namibian(s)
Adjective: Namibian

Ethnic groups: Ovambo 50%, Kavangos 9%, Herero 7%, Damara 7%, mixed European and African ancestry 6.5%, European 6%, Nama 5%, Caprivian 4%, San 3%, Baster 2%, Tswana .5%

Languages: Oshiwambo languages 49.7%, Nama/Damara 11%, Kavango languages 10.4%, Afrikaans 9.4% (also a common language), Herero languages 9.2%, Zambezi languages 4.9%, English (official) 2.3%, other African languages 1.5%, other European languages 0.7%, other 1% (2016 est.)
Note: Namibia has 13 recognized national languages, including 10 indigenous African languages and 3 European languages

Religions: Christian 97.5%, other 0.6% (includes Muslim, Baha'i, Jewish, Buddhist), unaffiliated 1.9% (2020 est.)

Demographic profile: Planning officials view Namibia’s reduced population growth rate as sustainable based on the country’s economic growth over the past decade. Prior to independence in 1990, Namibia’s relatively small population grew at about 3% annually, but declining fertility and the impact of HIV/AIDS slowed this growth to 1.4% by 2011, rebounding to close to 2% by 2016. Namibia’s fertility rate has fallen over the last two decades - from about 4.5 children per woman in 1996 to 3.4 in 2016 - due to increased contraceptive use, higher educational attainment among women, and greater female participation in the labor force. The average age at first birth has stayed fairly constant, but the age at first marriage continues to increase, indicating a rising incidence of premarital childbearing.

Age structure
0-14 years: 35.68% (male 473,937/female 464,453)
15-24 years: 20.27% (male 267,106/female 265,882)
25-54 years: 35.47% (male 449,132/female 483,811)
55-64 years: 4.68% (male 54,589/female 68,619)
65 years and over: 3.9% (male 43,596/female 58,948) (2020 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 67.3
Youth dependency ratio: 60.6
Elderly dependency ratio: 6.7
Potential support ratio: 14.8 (2021 est.)

Median age
Total: 21.8 years
Male: 21.1 years
Female: 22.6 years (2020 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.82% (2022 est.)

Birth rate: 25.01 births/1000 population (2022 est.)

Death rate: 6.85 deaths/1000 population (2022 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2022 est.)

Population distribution: population density is very low, with the largest clustering found in the extreme north-central area along the border with Angola

Urbanization
Urban population: 54.9% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 3.64% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 477,000 WINDHOEK (capital) (2023)

Environment
Current issues: depletion and degradation of water and aquatic resources; desertification; land degradation; loss of biodiversity and biotic resources; wildlife poaching
International agreements party to: Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants
Particulate matter emissions: 22.59 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: 4.23 megatons (2016 est.)
Methane emissions: 10.4 megatons (2020 est.)

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 0.93 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.79 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.61 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2022 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 21.6 years (2013 est.)
Note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-49

Maternal mortality ratio: 195 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 29.42 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 31.48 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 27.3 deaths/1000 live births (2022 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 66.47 years
Male: 64.46 years
Female: 68.53 years (2022 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.98 children born/woman (2022 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 56.1% (2013)

Drinking water source
Improved:
Unimproved:

Current health expenditure: 8.5% of GDP (2019)

Physicians density: 0.59 physicians/1000 population (2018)

Hospital bed density: 2.7 beds/1000 population

Sanitation facility access
Improved:
Unimproved:

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 11.8% (2021 est.)

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: high (2020)
Food or water borne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Vector borne diseases: malaria
Watercontactdiseases: schistosomiasis

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 17.2% (2016)

Alcohol consumption
Per capita total: 2.38 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita beer: 1.37 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita wine: 0.16 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita spirits: 0.53 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita other alcohols: 0.32 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Tobacco use
Total: 15.1% (2020 est.)
Male: 24.2% (2020 est.)
Female: 6% (2020 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 13.2% (2013)

Education expenditures: 9.6% of GDP (2021 est.)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 91.5%
Male: 91.6%
Female: 91.4% (2018)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15-24 total: 38%
Rate ages 15-24 male: 37.5%
Rate ages 15-24 female: 38.5% (2018 est.)


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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Namibia
Conventional short form: Namibia
Local long form: Republic of Namibia
Local short form: Namibia
Former: German South-West Africa (Deutsch-Suedwestafrika), South-West Africa
Etymology: named for the coastal Namib Desert; the name "namib" means "vast place" in the Nama/Damara language

Government type: presidential republic

Capital
Name: Windhoek
Geographic coordinates: 22 34 S, 17 05 E
Time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in September; ends first Sunday in April
Etymology: may derive from the Afrikaans word "wind-hoek" meaning "windy corner"

Administrative divisions: 14 regions; Erongo, Hardap, //Karas, Kavango East, Kavango West, Khomas, Kunene, Ohangwena, Omaheke, Omusati, Oshana, Oshikoto, Otjozondjupa, Zambezi; note - the Karas Region was renamed //Karas in September 2013 to include the alveolar lateral click of the Khoekhoegowab language

Dependent areas

Independence: 21 March 1990 (from South African mandate)

National holiday: Independence Day, 21 March (1990)

Constitution
History: adopted 9 February 1990, entered into force 21 March 1990
Amendments: initiated by the Cabinet; passage requires two-thirds majority vote of the National Assembly membership and of the National Council of Parliament and assent of the president of the republic; if the National Council fails to pass an amendment, the president can call for a referendum; passage by referendum requires two-thirds majority of votes cast; amendments that detract from or repeal constitutional articles on fundamental rights and freedoms cannot be amended, and the requisite majorities needed by Parliament to amend the constitution cannot be changed; amended 1998, 2010, 2014

Legal system: mixed legal system of uncodified civil law based on Roman-Dutch law and customary law

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descentonly: at least one parent must be a citizen of Namibia
Dual citizenship recognized: no
Residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Hage GEINGOB (since 21 March 2015); Vice President Nangola MBUMBA (since 8 February 2018); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government
Head of government: President Hage GEINGOB (since 21 March 2015); Vice President Nangola MBUMBA (since 8 February 2018); Prime Minister Saara KUUGONGELWA-AMADHILA (since 21 March 2015)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among members of the National Assembly
Elections and appointments: president elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 28 November 2019 (next to be held in 2024)
Election results: Hage GEINGOB elected president in the first round; percent of vote - Hage GEINGOB (SWAPO) 56.3%, Panduleni ITULA (Independent) 29.4%, McHenry VENAANI (PDM) 5.3%, Bernadus SWARTBOOI (LPM) 2.7%, Apius AUCHAB (UDF) 2.7%, Esther MUINJANGUE (NUDO) 1.5%, other 2% (2019)

Legislative branch
Description: bicameral Parliament consists of:
National Council (42 seats); members indirectly elected 3 each by the 14 regional councils to serve 5-year terms); note - the Council primarily reviews legislation passed and referred by the National Assembly
National Assembly (104 seats; 96 members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by closed list, proportional representation vote to serve 5-year terms and 8 nonvoting members appointed by the president)
Elections: National Council - elections for regional councils to determine members of the National Council held on 25 November 2020 (next to be held on 25 November 2025)
National Assembly - last held on 27 November 2019 (next to be held in 2024)
Election results: National Council - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - SWAPO 28, LPM 6,IPC 2, PDM 2, UDF 2, NUDO 1, independent 1; composition as of July 2022 - men 36, women 6, percent of women 14.3%
National Assembly - percent of vote by party - SWAPO 65.5%, PDM 16.6%, LPM 4.7%, NUDO 1.9%, APP 1.8%, UDF 1.8%, RP 1.8%, NEFF 1.7%, RDP 1.1%, CDV .7%, SWANU .6%, other 1.8%; seats by party - SWAPO 63, PDM 16, LPM 4, NUDO 2, APP 2, UDF 2, RP 2, NEFF 2, RDP 1, CDV 1, SWANU 1; composition as of July 2022 - men 58, women 46, percent of women 44.2%; note - overall percent of women in Parliament 35.6%

Judicial branch
Highest courts: Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice and at least 3 judges in quorum sessions)
Judge selection and term of office: judges appointed by the president of Namibia upon the recommendation of the Judicial Service Commission; judges serve until age 65, but terms can be extended by the president until age 70
Subordinate courts: High Court; Electoral Court, Labor Court; regional and district magistrates' courts; community courts

Political parties and leaders: All People's Party or APP [Vacant]
Christian Democratic Voice or CDV [Gothard KANDUME]
Landless People's Movement or LPM [Bernadus SWARTBOOI]
National Unity Democratic Organization or NUDO [Estes MUINJANGUE]
Namibian Economic Freedom Fighters or NEFF [Epafras MUKWIILONGO]
Popular Democratic Movement or PDM [McHenry VENAANI] (formerly Democratic Turnhalle Alliance or DTA) 
Rally for Democracy and Progress or RDP [Mike KAVEKOTORA]
Republican Party or RP [Henk MUDGE]
South West Africa National Union or SWANU [Charles KATJIVIRUE]
South West Africa People's Organization or SWAPO [Hage GEINGOB]
United Democratic Front or UDF [Apius AUCHAB]
United People's Movement or UPM [Jan J. VAN WYK]

International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, AU, C, CD, CPLP (associate observer), FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NAM, OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNHRC, UNIDO, UNISFA, UNMIL, UNMISS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Margaret Natalie MENSAH-WILLIAMS (since 18 January 2021)
In the us chancery: 1605 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,009
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 986-0540
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 986-0443
In the us email address and website:
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Jessica LONG (since 2 July 2021)
From the us embassy: 14 Lossen Street, Windhoek
From the us mailing address: 2,540 Windhoek Place, Washington DC 20,521-2,540
From the us telephone: [264] (061) 295-8,500
From the us FAX: [264] (061) 295-8,603
From the us email address and website:

Flag description: a wide red stripe edged by narrow white stripes divides the flag diagonally from lower hoist corner to upper fly corner; the upper hoist-side triangle is blue and charged with a golden-yellow, 12-rayed sunburst; the lower fly-side triangle is green; red signifies the heroism of the people and their determination to build a future of equal opportunity for all; white stands for peace, unity, tranquility, and harmony; blue represents the Namibian sky and the Atlantic Ocean, the country's precious water resources and rain; the golden-yellow sun denotes power and existence; green symbolizes vegetation and agricultural resources

National symbols: oryx (antelope); national colors: blue, red, green, white, yellow

National anthem
Name: "Namibia, Land of the Brave"
Lyrics and music: Axali DOESEB
Note: adopted 1991

National heritage
Total world heritage sites: 2 (1 cultural, 1 natural)
Selected world heritage site locales:


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Economy overview

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars

Real gdp growth rate:

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 68.7% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 24.5% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 16% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 1.6% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 36.7% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -47.5% (2017 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 6.7% (2016 est.)
Industry: 26.3% (2016 est.)
Services: 67% (2017 est.)

Agriculture products: roots/tubers nes, milk, maize, onions, beef, grapes, fruit, pulses nes, vegetables, millet

Industries: meatpacking, fish processing, dairy products, pasta, beverages; mining (diamonds, lead, zinc, tin, silver, tungsten, uranium, copper)

Industrial production growth rate: -0.4% (2017 est.)

Labor force: 956,800 (2017 est.)
By occupation agriculture: 31%
By occupation industry: 14%
By occupation services: 54% (2013 est.)
By occupation note: about half of Namibia's people are unemployed while about two-thirds live in rural areas; roughly two-thirds of rural dwellers rely on subsistence agriculture

Unemployment rate:

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15-24 total: 38%
Rate ages 15-24 male: 37.5%
Rate ages 15-24 female: 38.5% (2018 est.)

Population below poverty line: 17.4% (2015 est.)

Gini index
Coefficient distribution of family income:

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 2.4%
Highest 10: 42% (2010)

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $4.268 billion (2017 est.)
Expenditures: $5 billion (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit: $-5.5% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Taxes and other revenues: 32.2% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Public debt:

Revenue
From forest resources forest revenues: 0.47% of GDP (2018 est.)
From coal coal revenues: 0% of GDP (2018 est.)

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate consumer prices:

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance:

Exports:
Partners: China 27%, South Africa 18%, Botswana 8%, Belgium 7% (2019)
Commodities: copper, diamonds, uranium, thorium, gold, radioactive chemicals, fish (2019)

Imports:
Partners: South Africa 47%, Zambia 16% (2019)
Commodities: copper, refined petroleum, delivery trucks, diamonds, cars (2019)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

Debt external:

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Access electrification total population: 57% (2019)
Access electrification urban areas: 78% (2019)
Access electrification rural areas: 36% (2019)
Installed generating capacity: 640,000 kW (2020 est.)
Consumption: 4,065,360,000 kWh (2019 est.)
Exports: 119 million kWh (2019 est.)
Imports: 3.417 billion kWh (2019 est.)
Transmission distribution losses: 270 million kWh (2019 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 6.1% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources solar: 4.7% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources wind: 0.5% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 88.8% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources biomass and waste: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

Coal
Production: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Consumption: 38,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
Exports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Imports: 59,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
Proven reserves: 0 metric tons (2019 est.)

Petroleum
Total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2021 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 26,500 bbl/day (2019 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate exports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate imports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil estimated reserves: 0 barrels (2021 est.)

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products exports: 80 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports: 26,270 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Consumption: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Exports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Imports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Proven reserves: 62.297 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 3.831 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 66,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 3.764 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

Energy consumption per capita: 29.811 million Btu/person (2019 est.)


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 140,370 (2020 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 6 (2020 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 2,898,125 (2020 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 114 (2020 est.)

Telephone system

Broadcast media: 1 private and 1 state-run TV station; satellite and cable TV service available; state-run radio service broadcasts in multiple languages; about a dozen private radio stations; transmissions of multiple international broadcasters available

Internet
Country code: .na
Users total: 1,041,776 (2020 est.)
Users percent of population: 41% (2020 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 71,063 (2020 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 3 (2020 est.)


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Military expenditures:

Military and security forces: Namibian Defense Force (NDF): Army, Navy, Air Force; Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety, and Security: Namibian Police Force (includes a paramilitary Special Field Force responsible for protecting borders and government installations) (2022)

Military service age and obligation: 18-25 years of age for men and women for voluntary military service; no conscription (2022)
Note: as of 2018, women comprised more than 20% of the active duty military

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 2 (2020)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 21
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 602,893 (2018)
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 26.29 million (2018) mt-km

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: V5

Airports
Total: 112 (2021)
With paved runways total: 19
With paved runways over 3047 m: 4
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 2
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 12
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1 (2021)
With unpaved runways total: 93
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 25
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 52
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 16 (2021)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways
Total: 2,628 km (2014)
Narrowgauge: 2,628 km (2014) 1.067-m gauge

Roadways
Total: 48,875 km (2018)
Paved: 7,893 km (2018)
Unpaved: 40,982 km (2018)

Waterways

Merchant marine
Total: 14
By type: general cargo 1, other 13 (2021)

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: Luderitz, Walvis Bay


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Disputes international: Namibia-Angola-Botswana: concerns from international experts and local populations over the Okavango Delta ecology in Botswana and human displacement scuttled Namibian plans to construct a hydroelectric dam on Popa Falls along the Angola-Namibia border

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees country of origin: 6,096 (Democratic Republic of the Congo) (refugees and asylum seekers) (2022)

Illicit drugs