Poverty in Namibia

Poverty in Namibia is common with an unemployment rate of 29.9%, poverty incidence of 26.9% and HIV prevalence of 16.9%. <a href="/facts/Namibia/ahXuaypy">Namibia</a> has an economic growth rates averaging 4.3% according to the <a href="/facts/World_Bank/hIH9uUb2">World Bank</a>, and is one of nine nations in Africa classified by the World Bank as upper center pay. However, <a href="/facts/Income_disparity/2Kb0kBH5">income disparity</a> in the country is one of the world's highest with a <a href="/facts/Gini_coefficient/HledImpA">Gini coefficient</a> of 59.1 in 2015 (2017: 61.3), and there were 3,300 <a href="/facts/US$/naEEDUhC">US$</a> millionaires in 2017.
In a 2021 report by the governmental <a href="/facts/Namibia_Statistics_Agency/I5PLnnCL">Namibia Statistics Agency</a>, <a href="/facts/Multidimensional_Poverty_Index/BnQjhzCt">multidimensional poverty</a> was determined to affect 43% of the population, 59% in rural and 25% in urban areas. The poorest regions per this measure were <a href="/facts/Kavango_West/IRYnhMeb">Kavango West</a> (80%), <a href="/facts/Kavango_East/WJdUIqKf">Kavango East</a> (70%) and <a href="/facts/Kunene_Region/BEgywQhp">Kunene Region</a> (64%), while the lowest rates of poverty were found in <a href="/facts/Erongo_Region/1K4fCY4t">Erongo</a> (16%) and <a href="/facts/%C7%81Karas_Region/9HNTtWXv">ǁKaras</a> (21%).
More than 400,000 people live in <a href="/facts/Informal_housing/oT8aRquL">informal housing</a>, with <a href="/facts/Windhoek/FqgWBjI9">Windhoek</a> (100,000 shack dwellers), <a href="/facts/Rundu/ytADS4dU">Rundu</a> (76,000) and <a href="/facts/Otjiwarongo/Q35Xx2HH">Otjiwarongo</a> (53,000) accommodating the largest number.

Poverty in Namibia open-in-new

Poverty in Namibia