Share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in Namibia

Namibia: Share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days was 48.8% in 2020. ▬ Flat

Latest (2020)
48.8%
Change on year
down 1.2%
World rank
49th
of 187 countries
All-time high
50.9%
in 2000
All-time low
48.8%
in 2020
Years of data
21
2000–2020

Share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in Namibia, 2000–2020

02040602000201020202000: 50.9 %2001: 50.6 %2002: 50.4 %2003: 50.1 %2004: 50.1 %2005: 49.8 %2006: 49.7 %2007: 49.6 %2008: 49.7 %2009: 49.9 %2010: 49.7 %2011: 49.8 %2012: 49.8 %2013: 50 %2014: 50 %2015: 50 %2016: 50.1 %2017: 49.9 %2018: 49.7 %2019: 49.4 %2020: 48.8 %

Source: World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2020, share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in Namibia stood at 48.8%. That is the lowest value across all 21 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.2% on the previous year and down 1.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in Namibia peaked at 50.9% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 48.8%, in 2020.

Namibia ranks 49th of 187 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

Share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in Namibia, year by year

Annual values for Share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in Namibia, 2000 to 2020.
Year % Change
2000 50.9%
2001 50.6% -0.5%
2002 50.4% -0.4%
2003 50.1% -0.6%
2004 50.1% -0.0%
2005 49.8% -0.6%
2006 49.7% -0.3%
2007 49.6% -0.2%
2008 49.7% +0.1%
2009 49.9% +0.5%
2010 49.7% -0.5%
2011 49.8% +0.3%
2012 49.8% +0.1%
2013 50.0% +0.3%
2014 50.0% -0.0%
2015 50.0% +0.1%
2016 50.1% +0.2%
2017 49.9% -0.4%
2018 49.7% -0.4%
2019 49.4% -0.6%
2020 48.8% -1.2%

Namibia compared with similar countries

  • Namibia's 48.8% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 44.7%, 1.1× the median. (46 countries reporting)
  • Namibia's 48.8% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 47.9%, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 50.1% 49.6% 50.9% 10
2010s 49.8% 49.4% 50.1% 10
2020s 48.8% 48.8% 48.8% 1

Countries ranked near Namibia

  1. 46 Fiji 49.0% compare
  2. 47 Lesotho 49.0% compare
  3. 48 Dominican Republic 48.8% compare
  4. 50 Grenada 48.6% compare
  5. 51 Cambodia 48.4% compare
  6. 52 Malta 48.2% compare

See the full ranking of 187 places →

More reference data data for Namibia

All data for Namibia →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in Namibia?
Share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in Namibia was 48.8% in 2020, according to World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days recorded in Namibia?
The highest recorded value was 50.9% in 2000.
What is the lowest share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days recorded in Namibia?
The lowest recorded value was 48.8% in 2020.
How does Namibia rank for share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days?
Namibia ranks 49th out of 187 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days rising or falling in Namibia?
Over the last ten years it is down 1.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Namibia data come from?
The figures come from World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in Namibia. Statizoid, drawing on World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/drinkers-had-a-heavy-session-in-past-30-days/namibia/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days
Unit
%
Source
World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
187 places, 3,927 data points, 2000–2020
Last refreshed

Heavy episodic drinking (drinkers only) is defined as the proportion of adult drinkers (15+ years) who have had at least 60 grams or more of pure alcohol on at least one occasion in the past 30 days. A consumption of 60 grams of pure alcohol corresponds approximately to 6 standard alcoholic drinks.