8 Billion Lives
Be born

Where you could be born / Africa / Southern Africa

Born in Namibia

About 1 in 1,722 people born in 2023 started life in Namibia. A boy can expect to live 63 years and a girl 71, up from 40 and 44 in 1950. Fewer than half of people live in cities, and 86% have basic drinking water.

1 in 1,722
odds of being born here
76,700 births · Ranked 117th of 230
63 / 71
years of life, boys / girls
Was 40 / 44 in 1950
$3,865
income per person a year
2021 dollars · Ranked 135th of 203 · extrapolated
50%
live in a city
Most live in villages

Life and health

Life lasts about 25 years longer than in 1950. Child deaths fell from 272 in every 1,000 births to 37.

How long a life lasts

GirlsBoys

020406080195019852023

Years a baby born that year could expect to live.

Children who die before age 5
0100200300195019852023

In every 1,000 births.

Life expectancy at birth63.3 years for boys, 71.3 for girlsUN WPP 2024
Children who die before age 536.9 in every 1,000 birthsUN WPP 2024
Deaths a year18,000UN WPP 2024
Doctors per 1,000 people0.6World Bank WDI
Children immunized against measles86%World Bank WDI
Adults living with HIV9.4%World Bank WDI
New tuberculosis cases a year432 per 100,000 peopleWorld Bank WDI
Malaria cases a year8 per 1,000 people at riskWorld Bank WDI

Family

Women had 5.6 children on average in 1950. Now it is 3.2.

Children per woman
02468195019852023

Average over a lifetime.

Children per woman3.21UN WPP 2024
Average age of mothers at birth28.9 yearsUN WPP 2024

Money and work

If every 100 coins of income were shared out, the richest fifth would hold 64 and the poorest fifth 3.

Who gets the income
Share of all income by fifth of the population, 2015
3%Poorest fifth
6%Second
10%Middle
18%Fourth
64%Richest fifth
Income per personabout $3,865 a year (2021 dollars, adjusted for prices)World Bank PIP, scaled between survey years Extrapolated
Share of income going to the richest fifth / poorest fifth64% / 3% (2015)World Bank PIP
Unemployment19.2% of the workforce (2023)World Bank WDI
Price rises5.9% a year (2023)World Bank WDI
Growth in output per person1.7% (2023)World Bank WDI
Jobs in farming23% of jobsWorld Bank WDI
Self-employed37% of jobs (2025)World Bank WDI
Secondary school enrolment82% (can pass 100 when older students are counted)World Bank WDI

Daily life

The largest city is Windhoek, with 386,219 people.

50%
live in cities
57%
have electricity at home
86%
have basic drinking water
Largest cities
People living there
Windhoek386,219
Rundu75,180
Walvis Bay73,598
Swakopmund53,009
Oshakati43,309
Languages
Share of people who can use each
Afrikaans75%
Kuanyama35%
Ndonga21%
Nama11%
Herero9%
English is official.

Cities and regions

Every state, province and large city with a page.

Largest regions

Khomas Region386,219
Erongo Region126,607
Kavango East95,813
Oshana Region94,370
Otjozondjupa Region84,412
Karas Region38,186
Hardap Region34,185
Zambezi Region33,615
Ohangwena Region22,963
Oshikoto Region22,845

Sourced: GeoNames Population of each state, province or region.

All 11 regions
  • Khomas Region386,219
  • Erongo Region126,607
  • Kavango East95,813
  • Oshana Region94,370
  • Otjozondjupa Region84,412
  • Karas Region38,186
  • Hardap Region34,185
  • Zambezi Region33,615
  • Ohangwena Region22,963
  • Oshikoto Region22,845
  • Omaheke Region22,639

People on the move

About 1.3% as many people born here live abroad as live here. The most common destinations are South Africa, Australia, Botswana.

Where people born here live abroad
By country of residence, 2024
South Africa34,273
Australia1,890
Botswana1,043
Residents born abroad3.8% (2024)World Bank WDI
People born here who live abroadequal to 1.3% of the people who live hereUN DESA migrant stock
Where they go mostSouth Africa (34,273), Australia (1,890), Botswana (1,043)UN DESA migrant stock
Money sent home from abroadabout $96.5 million a year (2024)World Bank WDI

Safety nets

100% of older people receive a pension. Help for someone who loses a job reaches 0%.

100%
of older people receive a pension (2022)
0%
of unemployed people receive a benefit (2022)

Events in the data

The game draws real events from these records, so a life lived here can meet them.

Reported COVID-19 deaths, 2020 to 20244,108Our World in Data, from WHO
Deaths in organized violence60 between 2000 and 2000UCDP

Now live it.

Born in Namibia, to a family drawn from these numbers. Every life replays exactly from its seed.

Be born in Namibia

Elsewhere in Africa

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How to read the sources. Every figure is sourced to a named dataset, shown beside it. A figure marked "Extrapolated" is estimated by a model because no survey covers the year. UN figures are for 2023, the latest year of UN estimates; other figures are the latest year their dataset has. Rank 1 is the highest figure among 230 countries and territories. All sources and licences