Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Namibia
Namibia: Share of children in primary school age who are in school was 99.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Namibia, 1989–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of children in primary school age who are in school in Namibia is 99.1%, measured in 2024.
The figure is down 0.1% on the previous year and up 0.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children in primary school age who are in school in Namibia peaked at 99.2% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 85.8%, in 1989.
Namibia ranks 43rd of 209 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Namibia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 85.8% | — |
| 1990 | 86.1% | +0.4% |
| 1992 | 91.7% | +6.5% |
| 1994 | 93.5% | +2.0% |
| 1995 | 93.5% | -0.0% |
| 1996 | 91.9% | -1.8% |
| 1997 | 91.6% | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 91.1% | -0.5% |
| 1999 | 89.2% | -2.1% |
| 2000 | 88.9% | -0.4% |
| 2001 | 89.0% | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 90.1% | +1.3% |
| 2003 | 90.5% | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 89.2% | -1.5% |
| 2005 | 90.9% | +2.0% |
| 2006 | 89.6% | -1.5% |
| 2007 | 93.1% | +3.9% |
| 2008 | 93.2% | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 94.1% | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 95.1% | +1.1% |
| 2011 | 96.3% | +1.3% |
| 2012 | 98.0% | +1.8% |
| 2013 | 99.2% | +1.2% |
| 2014 | 98.8% | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 98.6% | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 98.4% | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 98.5% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 98.5% | -0.0% |
| 2019 | 98.6% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 98.9% | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 99.1% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 98.9% | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 99.2% | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 99.1% | -0.1% |
Namibia compared with similar countries
- Namibia's 99.1% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 93.7%, 1.1× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Namibia's 99.1% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 84.5%, 1.2× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 85.8% | 85.8% | 85.8% | 1 |
| 1990s | 91.1% | 86.1% | 93.5% | 8 |
| 2000s | 90.9% | 88.9% | 94.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 98.0% | 95.1% | 99.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 99.1% | 98.9% | 99.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Namibia
More education data for Namibia
- 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)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1947 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children in primary school age who are in school in Namibia?
- Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Namibia was 99.1% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Namibia?
- The highest recorded value was 99.2% in 2013.
- What is the lowest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Namibia?
- The lowest recorded value was 85.8% in 1989.
- How does Namibia rank for share of children in primary school age who are in school?
- Namibia ranks 43rd out of 209 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of children in primary school age who are in school rising or falling in Namibia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Namibia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of children in primary school age who are in school. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of children of primary school age (typically 6–11 years) who are enrolled in primary education.