Literacy in Namibia
Namibia: Literacy was 87.64 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
87.64
World rank
53rd
of 89 countries
All-time high
88.28
in 2018
All-time low
75.82
in 1991
Years of data
6
1991–2023
Literacy in Namibia, 1991–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Namibia recorded 87.64 for literacy in 2023.
That represents a change of down 0.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy in Namibia peaked at 88.28 in 2018 and was at its lowest, 75.82, in 1991.
That places Namibia 53rd out of 89 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
Literacy in Namibia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 75.82 | — |
| 2001 | 84.94 | +12.0% |
| 2011 | 88.27 | +3.9% |
| 2016 | 88.13 | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 88.28 | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 87.64 | -0.7% |
Namibia compared with similar countries
- Namibia's 87.64 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 78.16, 1.1× the median. (31 countries reporting)
- Namibia's 87.64 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 70.87, 1.2× the median. (28 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 75.82 | 75.82 | 75.82 | 1 |
| 2000s | 84.94 | 84.94 | 84.94 | 1 |
| 2010s | 88.23 | 88.13 | 88.28 | 3 |
| 2020s | 87.64 | 87.64 | 87.64 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Namibia
More education data for Namibia
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 98.68 (2012)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.13 (2024)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 10,653 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 90,003 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 26,964 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 27,746 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 236,050 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 590,029 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 4.48 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy in Namibia?
- Literacy in Namibia was 87.64 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest literacy recorded in Namibia?
- The highest recorded value was 88.28 in 2018.
- What is the lowest literacy recorded in Namibia?
- The lowest recorded value was 75.82 in 1991.
- How does Namibia rank for literacy?
- Namibia ranks 53rd out of 89 countries with data for 2023.
- Is literacy 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 Our World in Data, published as part of Literacy. 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).