Access to electricity in Namibia

Namibia: Access to electricity was 28.7% in 2016. ▲ Rising

Latest (2016)
28.7%
Change on year
up 2.8%
World rank
171st
of 202 countries
All-time high
28.7%
in 2016
All-time low
4.2%
in 1992
Years of data
27
1990–2016

Access to electricity in Namibia, 1990–2016

510152025301990200320161990: 9 % of rural population1991: 10.2 % of rural population1992: 4.2 % of rural population1993: 12.2 % of rural population1994: 13.1 % of rural population1995: 14.1 % of rural population1996: 15.1 % of rural population1997: 16 % of rural population1998: 16.9 % of rural population1999: 17.8 % of rural population2000: 13.2 % of rural population2001: 19.5 % of rural population2002: 20.1 % of rural population2003: 20.6 % of rural population2004: 21.1 % of rural population2005: 21.6 % of rural population2006: 22.2 % of rural population2007: 14.6 % of rural population2008: 23.3 % of rural population2009: 23.9 % of rural population2010: 24.5 % of rural population2011: 25.1 % of rural population2012: 25.8 % of rural population2013: 20.5 % of rural population2014: 27.2 % of rural population2015: 27.9 % of rural population2016: 28.7 % of rural population

Source: World Bank Global Electrification Database 2013. Measured in % of rural population.

Analysis

Namibia recorded 28.7% for access to electricity in 2016. That is the highest value across all 27 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.8% on the previous year and up 29.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, access to electricity in Namibia peaked at 28.7% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 4.2%, in 1992.

Namibia ranks 171st of 202 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.

Access to electricity in Namibia, year by year

Annual values for Access to electricity (% of rural population) in Namibia, 1990 to 2016.
Year % of rural population Change
1990 9.0% —
1991 10.2% +12.7%
1992 4.2% -58.7%
1993 12.2% +189.8%
1994 13.1% +8.0%
1995 14.1% +7.3%
1996 15.1% +6.8%
1997 16.0% +6.2%
1998 16.9% +5.7%
1999 17.8% +5.3%
2000 13.2% -25.9%
2001 19.5% +48.0%
2002 20.1% +3.0%
2003 20.6% +2.6%
2004 21.1% +2.5%
2005 21.6% +2.4%
2006 22.2% +2.4%
2007 14.6% -34.1%
2008 23.3% +59.4%
2009 23.9% +2.6%
2010 24.5% +2.6%
2011 25.1% +2.6%
2012 25.8% +2.6%
2013 20.5% -20.5%
2014 27.2% +32.6%
2015 27.9% +2.8%
2016 28.7% +2.8%

Namibia compared with similar countries

  • Namibia's 28.7% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 50.2%, 57% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
  • Namibia's 28.7% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 18.0%, 1.6× the median. (45 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Access to electricity 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.

YearChange FromTo
1993 +189.8% 4.2% 12.2%
1992 -58.7% 10.2% 4.2%
2008 +59.4% 14.6% 23.3%
2001 +48.0% 13.2% 19.5%
2007 -34.1% 22.2% 14.6%
2014 +32.6% 20.5% 27.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 12.9% 4.2% 17.8% 10
2000s 20.0% 13.2% 23.9% 10
2010s 25.7% 20.5% 28.7% 7

Countries ranked near Namibia

  1. 168 Cote d'Ivoire 38.1% compare
  2. 169 Botswana 37.5% compare
  3. 170 Cambodia 36.5% compare
  4. 172 Ethiopia 26.5% compare
  5. 173 Congo 22.6% compare
  6. 174 Sudan 22.2% compare

See the full ranking of 203 places →

More reference data data for Namibia

All data for Namibia →

Frequently asked questions

What is access to electricity in Namibia?
Access to electricity in Namibia was 28.7% in 2016, according to World Bank Global Electrification Database 2013.
What is the highest access to electricity recorded in Namibia?
The highest recorded value was 28.7% in 2016.
What is the lowest access to electricity recorded in Namibia?
The lowest recorded value was 4.2% in 1992.
How does Namibia rank for access to electricity?
Namibia ranks 171st out of 202 countries with data for 2016.
Is access to electricity rising or falling in Namibia?
Over the last ten years it is up 29.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Namibia data come from?
The figures come from World Bank Global Electrification Database 2013, published as part of Access to electricity (% of rural population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Access to electricity in Namibia. Statizoid, drawing on World Bank Global Electrification Database 2013. Retrieved 29 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/access-to-electricity-percent-of-rural-population/namibia/

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About this data

Indicator
Access to electricity (% of rural population)
Unit
% of rural population
Source
World Bank Global Electrification Database 2013
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
203 places, 5,139 data points, 1990–2016
Last refreshed

Access to electricity is the percentage of rural population with access to electricity.