Share of students from abroad in Namibia
Namibia: Share of students from abroad was 3.1% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Share of students from abroad in Namibia, 2002–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Namibia recorded 3.1% for share of students from abroad in 2022.
The figure is down 3.2% on the previous year and down 58.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of students from abroad in Namibia peaked at 10.2% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 1.4%, in 2006.
Namibia ranks 82nd of 134 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.
Share of students from abroad in Namibia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 8.4% | — |
| 2003 | 8.7% | +3.1% |
| 2005 | 6.3% | -27.4% |
| 2006 | 1.4% | -77.3% |
| 2008 | 10.2% | +609.4% |
| 2012 | 7.6% | -25.5% |
| 2013 | 7.1% | -6.8% |
| 2014 | 8.8% | +24.0% |
| 2015 | 8.6% | -2.2% |
| 2016 | 7.1% | -17.5% |
| 2017 | 6.1% | -13.6% |
| 2018 | 4.8% | -22.0% |
| 2019 | 4.7% | -1.6% |
| 2020 | 3.2% | -30.8% |
| 2022 | 3.1% | -3.2% |
Namibia compared with similar countries
- Namibia's 3.1% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.9%, 3.4× the median. (27 countries reporting)
- Namibia's 3.1% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.6%, 1.9× the median. (26 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of students from abroad in Namibia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | +609.4% | 1.4% | 10.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 7.0% | 1.4% | 10.2% | 5 |
| 2010s | 6.8% | 4.7% | 8.8% | 8 |
| 2020s | 3.2% | 3.1% | 3.2% | 2 |
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 students from abroad in Namibia?
- Share of students from abroad in Namibia was 3.1% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of students from abroad recorded in Namibia?
- The highest recorded value was 10.2% in 2008.
- What is the lowest share of students from abroad recorded in Namibia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.4% in 2006.
- How does Namibia rank for share of students from abroad?
- Namibia ranks 82nd out of 134 countries with data for 2022.
- Is share of students from abroad rising or falling in Namibia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 58.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Namibia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of students from abroad. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
International students as a share of the country's overall tertiary enrollment. International students are those who move from their home countries for education, identified based on their past education, residence, or distinct immigration regulations.