School age population, primary education, both sexes (number) in Namibia
Namibia: School age population, primary education, both sexes (number) was 500,912 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
500,912
Change on year
up 2.5%
World rank
112th
of 222 countries
All-time high
500,912
in 2025
All-time low
132,976
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025
School age population, primary education, both sexes in Namibia, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Namibia recorded 500,912 for school age population, primary education, both sexes in 2025. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.
The figure is up 2.5% on the previous year and up 39.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, primary education, both sexes in Namibia peaked at 500,912 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 132,976, in 1970.
Namibia ranks 112th of 222 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
School age population, primary education, both sexes (number) in Namibia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 132,976 | — |
| 1971 | 137,272 | +3.2% |
| 1972 | 141,811 | +3.3% |
| 1973 | 146,591 | +3.4% |
| 1974 | 151,681 | +3.5% |
| 1975 | 157,068 | +3.6% |
| 1976 | 162,811 | +3.7% |
| 1977 | 168,660 | +3.6% |
| 1978 | 174,812 | +3.6% |
| 1979 | 180,719 | +3.4% |
| 1980 | 187,533 | +3.8% |
| 1981 | 194,243 | +3.6% |
| 1982 | 201,017 | +3.5% |
| 1983 | 208,324 | +3.6% |
| 1984 | 215,531 | +3.5% |
| 1985 | 222,166 | +3.1% |
| 1986 | 228,414 | +2.8% |
| 1987 | 233,074 | +2.0% |
| 1988 | 237,267 | +1.8% |
| 1989 | 240,629 | +1.4% |
| 1990 | 244,860 | +1.8% |
| 1991 | 247,008 | +0.9% |
| 1992 | 249,926 | +1.2% |
| 1993 | 254,764 | +1.9% |
| 1994 | 262,774 | +3.1% |
| 1995 | 271,791 | +3.4% |
| 1996 | 282,453 | +3.9% |
| 1997 | 295,320 | +4.6% |
| 1998 | 312,004 | +5.6% |
| 1999 | 327,926 | +5.1% |
| 2000 | 342,010 | +4.3% |
| 2001 | 353,845 | +3.5% |
| 2002 | 361,788 | +2.2% |
| 2003 | 365,054 | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 364,497 | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 359,726 | -1.3% |
| 2006 | 355,658 | -1.1% |
| 2007 | 352,861 | -0.8% |
| 2008 | 350,335 | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 347,890 | -0.7% |
| 2010 | 345,969 | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 345,016 | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 344,589 | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 347,788 | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 352,088 | +1.2% |
| 2015 | 358,293 | +1.8% |
| 2016 | 367,738 | +2.6% |
| 2017 | 379,943 | +3.3% |
| 2018 | 395,463 | +4.1% |
| 2019 | 410,464 | +3.8% |
| 2020 | 423,920 | +3.3% |
| 2021 | 439,338 | +3.6% |
| 2022 | 455,129 | +3.6% |
| 2023 | 472,726 | +3.9% |
| 2024 | 488,761 | +3.4% |
| 2025 | 500,912 | +2.5% |
Namibia compared with similar countries
- Namibia's 500,912 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.47 million, 34% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Namibia's 500,912 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2.37 million, 21% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 155,440 | 132,976 | 180,719 | 10 |
| 1980s | 216,820 | 187,533 | 240,629 | 10 |
| 1990s | 274,883 | 244,860 | 327,926 | 10 |
| 2000s | 355,366 | 342,010 | 365,054 | 10 |
| 2010s | 364,735 | 344,589 | 410,464 | 10 |
| 2020s | 463,464 | 423,920 | 500,912 | 6 |
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 school age population, primary education, both sexes in Namibia?
- School age population, primary education, both sexes in Namibia was 500,912 in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, primary education, both sexes recorded in Namibia?
- The highest recorded value was 500,912 in 2025.
- What is the lowest school age population, primary education, both sexes recorded in Namibia?
- The lowest recorded value was 132,976 in 1970.
- How does Namibia rank for school age population, primary education, both sexes?
- Namibia ranks 112th out of 222 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, primary education, both sexes rising or falling in Namibia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 39.8%. 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, published as part of School age population, primary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release