Literacy rate in Namibia
Namibia: Literacy rate was 87.6% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
87.6%
World rank
81st
of 128 countries
All-time high
88.3%
in 2018
All-time low
75.8%
in 1991
Years of data
6
1991–2023
Literacy rate in Namibia, 1991–2023
Source: UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Namibia recorded 87.6% for literacy rate in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate in Namibia peaked at 88.3% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 75.8%, in 1991.
Namibia ranks 81st of 128 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 75.8% | 75.8% | 75.8% | 1 |
| 2000s | 84.9% | 84.9% | 84.9% | 1 |
| 2010s | 88.2% | 88.1% | 88.3% | 3 |
| 2020s | 87.6% | 87.6% | 87.6% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Namibia
More education data for Namibia
- Duration of pre-primary education 2 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 5 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 59.6% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 36.7% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 14 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 7 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 120.7% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 21,240 (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 3.21 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 117.9% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate in Namibia?
- Literacy rate in Namibia was 87.6% in 2023, according to UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest literacy rate recorded in Namibia?
- The highest recorded value was 88.3% in 2018.
- What is the lowest literacy rate recorded in Namibia?
- The lowest recorded value was 75.8% in 1991.
- How does Namibia rank for literacy rate?
- Namibia ranks 81st out of 128 countries with data for 2023.
- Is literacy rate rising or falling in Namibia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Namibia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Literacy rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 6 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of adults who can read and write a simple statement about their everyday life.