Population in the largest city in Namibia
Namibia: Population in the largest city was 32.5% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Population in the largest city in Namibia, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of urban population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for population in the largest city in Namibia is 32.5%, measured in 2025.
The figure is up 0.5% on the previous year and down 4.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population in the largest city in Namibia peaked at 39.9% in 1988 and was at its lowest, 25.8%, in 1960.
That places Namibia 67th out of 153 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Population in the largest city in Namibia, year by year
| Year | % of urban population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 25.8% | — |
| 1961 | 26.5% | +2.7% |
| 1962 | 27.2% | +2.6% |
| 1963 | 27.9% | +2.6% |
| 1964 | 28.6% | +2.5% |
| 1965 | 29.3% | +2.5% |
| 1966 | 30.0% | +2.5% |
| 1967 | 30.7% | +2.4% |
| 1968 | 31.4% | +2.4% |
| 1969 | 32.2% | +2.3% |
| 1970 | 32.8% | +2.0% |
| 1971 | 33.0% | +0.6% |
| 1972 | 33.2% | +0.6% |
| 1973 | 33.5% | +0.6% |
| 1974 | 33.7% | +0.6% |
| 1975 | 33.9% | +0.6% |
| 1976 | 34.1% | +0.8% |
| 1977 | 34.5% | +1.0% |
| 1978 | 35.2% | +2.0% |
| 1979 | 35.9% | +2.0% |
| 1980 | 36.5% | +1.7% |
| 1981 | 37.4% | +2.5% |
| 1982 | 38.2% | +2.1% |
| 1983 | 38.7% | +1.2% |
| 1984 | 39.1% | +1.1% |
| 1985 | 39.4% | +0.9% |
| 1986 | 39.7% | +0.7% |
| 1987 | 39.9% | +0.5% |
| 1988 | 39.9% | +0.1% |
| 1989 | 38.8% | -2.8% |
| 1990 | 37.8% | -2.5% |
| 1991 | 37.9% | +0.1% |
| 1992 | 38.1% | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 38.3% | +0.5% |
| 1994 | 38.4% | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 38.5% | +0.2% |
| 1996 | 38.6% | +0.2% |
| 1997 | 38.6% | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 38.7% | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 38.7% | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 38.9% | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 38.8% | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 38.4% | -1.0% |
| 2003 | 38.1% | -0.9% |
| 2004 | 37.7% | -0.9% |
| 2005 | 37.3% | -1.0% |
| 2006 | 36.9% | -1.0% |
| 2007 | 36.5% | -1.0% |
| 2008 | 36.2% | -1.0% |
| 2009 | 35.9% | -0.9% |
| 2010 | 35.6% | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 35.4% | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 35.1% | -0.8% |
| 2013 | 34.8% | -1.1% |
| 2014 | 34.4% | -1.1% |
| 2015 | 34.0% | -1.0% |
| 2016 | 33.7% | -1.0% |
| 2017 | 33.4% | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 33.1% | -0.9% |
| 2019 | 32.8% | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 32.5% | -0.8% |
| 2021 | 32.3% | -0.7% |
| 2022 | 32.2% | -0.3% |
| 2023 | 32.2% | +0.1% |
| 2024 | 32.3% | +0.3% |
| 2025 | 32.5% | +0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 28.9% | 25.8% | 32.2% | 10 |
| 1970s | 34.0% | 32.8% | 35.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 38.8% | 36.5% | 39.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 38.4% | 37.8% | 38.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 37.5% | 35.9% | 38.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 34.2% | 32.8% | 35.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 32.4% | 32.2% | 32.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Namibia
More urban development data for Namibia
- Population density 3.6 people per sq. km of land area (2023)
- PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure 14.23 micrograms per cubic meter (2023)
- Population in largest city 511,369 (2025)
- Crude steelmaking capacity 0 Tonnes (2025)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 23 - Ecological 78.23 Hectares (2020)
- PM2.5 air pollution, population exposed to levels exceeding WHO 100.0% (2017)
- Dollar value of all resources made available to strengthen 2.49 million (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population in the largest city in Namibia?
- Population in the largest city in Namibia was 32.5% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest population in the largest city recorded in Namibia?
- The highest recorded value was 39.9% in 1988.
- What is the lowest population in the largest city recorded in Namibia?
- The lowest recorded value was 25.8% in 1960.
- How does Namibia rank for population in the largest city?
- Namibia ranks 67th out of 153 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population in the largest city rising or falling in Namibia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Namibia data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN), published as part of Population in the largest city (% of urban population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Population in largest city is the percentage of a country's urban population living in that country's largest metropolitan area.