Namibia at its true size
Namibia covers 825,615 km², number 34 of 194 countries by area. Home to 3,092,816 people (2025). Sitting near the equator, it is one of the few places Mercator gets almost right.
Equal-area projection · Natural Earth 50m
| Area | 825,615 km² Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Population | 3,092,816 World Bank, 2025 |
| Density | 3.7 per km² |
| Capital | Windhoek |
| Local time in Windhoek | |
| Time zone | UTC+2 IANA |
| Currency | South African rand (ZAR), Namibian dollar (NAD) Wikidata |
| Languages | English |
| Traffic | On the left |
| Region | Southern Africa, Africa |
| Status | Independent state |
| Coast | Has a coastline |
| Calling code | +264 |
| Codes | NA · NAM · 516 |
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Where Namibia ranks
Among the independent states, in 44 rankings. Each links to its table.
People
- Population#134 of 1943.1 million people#41 of 54 in Africa
- Population density#192 of 1943.7 people per km²#54 of 54 in Africa
- Urban population#131 of 19251% urban#24 of 54 in Africa
- Fertility rate#49 of 1923.21 births per woman#40 of 54 in Africa
- Population growth#45 of 192+2.05% a year#33 of 54 in Africa
- Birth rate#45 of 19225.9 births per 1,000 people#40 of 54 in Africa
- Death rate#129 of 1926.2 deaths per 1,000 people#35 of 54 in Africa
- Children under 15#43 of 19236.7% under 15#38 of 54 in Africa
- People over 65#146 of 1923.8% aged 65 and over#19 of 54 in Africa
- Net migration#55 of 192+0.6 per 1,000 people#5 of 54 in Africa
- Refugees abroad#99 of 1900.22 refugees abroad per 1,000 people#38 of 54 in Africa
Health & education
- Life expectancy#148 of 19267.5 years#19 of 54 in Africa
- Infant mortality#30 of 19136.4 infant deaths per 1,000 live births#26 of 54 in Africa
- Doctors#124 of 1780.55 doctors per 1,000 people#10 of 51 in Africa
- University enrolment#105 of 14526.1% gross enrolment#6 of 29 in Africa
- Human Development Index#133 of 190an index of 0.665#14 of 54 in Africa
Economy
- GNI per capita#122 of 185$4,340 a person#11 of 52 in Africa
- Internet users#130 of 18465% online#13 of 52 in Africa
- GDP per capita (PPP)#121 of 184$11,986 a person#13 of 52 in Africa
- GDP growth#141 of 187+1.7% a year#47 of 52 in Africa
- Inflation#75 of 176+3.5% a year#25 of 50 in Africa
- Unemployment#7 of 17819.3% of the labour force#7 of 53 in Africa
- Extreme poverty#32 of 14922.9% under $3.00 a day#31 of 47 in Africa
- Income inequality (Gini)#1 of 149a Gini index of 59.1#1 of 47 in Africa
- Jobs in agriculture#79 of 17822.3% of jobs#42 of 53 in Africa
- Jobs in industry#124 of 17816.5% of jobs#23 of 53 in Africa
- Jobs in services#80 of 17861.1% of jobs#8 of 53 in Africa
- Foreign investment#19 of 1849.6% of GDP#6 of 52 in Africa
- Exports#56 of 16844.7% of GDP#11 of 49 in Africa
- Military spending#35 of 1552.8% of GDP#10 of 50 in Africa
- Mobile subscriptions#146 of 19185 subscriptions per 100 people#32 of 54 in Africa
Energy & environment
- CO₂ per person#123 of 1851.20 tonnes a person#14 of 53 in Africa
- Forest area#155 of 19210% forest#42 of 54 in Africa
- Renewable energy#80 of 19030.0% renewable#41 of 54 in Africa
- Access to electricity#165 of 19259.3% with electricity#29 of 54 in Africa
- Air pollution (PM2.5)#123 of 19114.2 µg/m³#48 of 54 in Africa
- Protected land#9 of 19139.9% of the land protected#4 of 54 in Africa
- Arable land#171 of 1901.0% of the land arable#49 of 54 in Africa
- Water stress#168 of 1760.3% of its available fresh water#48 of 53 in Africa
- Precipitation#154 of 180285 mm a year#43 of 54 in Africa
Governance & safety
Countries of a similar size
Every country within 25% of Namibia’s area, lit up on the map →
- Mozambique1.03×Namibia and Mozambique are almost exactly the same size.
- Turkey1.05×Namibia is 5% larger than Turkey.
- Pakistan0.94×Namibia is 6% smaller than Pakistan.
- Chile1.09×Namibia is 9% larger than Chile.
- Zambia1.1×Namibia is 10% larger than Zambia.
- Venezuela0.91×Namibia is 9% smaller than Venezuela.
How many times does Namibia fit into…
- Russia: about 21 times
- Canada: about 12 times
- United States: about 12 times
The land itself
Rivers, summits and lakes Namibia shares with the rest of the world. Turn on “Rivers & lakes” and “Physical names” in the atlas to see them on the map.
Rivers
- Zambezi2,574 km
- Orange2,200 km
- Okavango1,600 km
Summits
- Brandberg2,573 m
- Hunsberge1,655 m
Rivers are listed by the published length of their whole course, not the part inside Namibia. Figures from Wikidata, features from Natural Earth.
Neighbours
Questions about Namibia
- How big is Namibia?
- Namibia covers 825,615 km², which makes it number 34 of 194 countries by area. About 3,092,816 people live there (2025), 3.7 per km².
- Is Namibia bigger than Mozambique?
- Namibia and Mozambique are almost exactly the same size. Namibia: 825,615 km²; Mozambique: 801,590 km².
- How much does the Mercator map distort Namibia?
- Namibia lies close to the equator, so Mercator draws it at nearly its true size. It is the countries far from the equator that Mercator inflates.
- Which countries border Namibia?
- Namibia shares a land border with Angola, South Africa, Zambia, Botswana.