Wage bill as a percentage of GDP in Namibia

Namibia: Wage bill as a percentage of GDP was 14.7% in 2022. ▲ Rising

Latest (2022)
14.7%
Change on year
down 9.0%
World rank
15th
of 191 countries
All-time high
16.6%
in 2020
All-time low
10.3%
in 2008
Years of data
23
2000–2022

Wage bill as a percentage of GDP in Namibia, 2000–2022

0510152000201120222000: 12.92001: 13.62002: 12.92003: 13.32004: 12.52005: 12.12006: 11.72007: 10.92008: 10.32009: 11.32010: 12.32011: 13.32012: 12.52013: 14.12014: 15.12015: 15.72016: 16.12017: 16.22018: 15.82019: 162020: 16.62021: 16.22022: 14.7

Source: World Bank.

Analysis

Namibia recorded 14.7% for wage bill as a percentage of gdp in 2022.

The figure is down 9.0% on the previous year and up 18.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, wage bill as a percentage of gdp in Namibia peaked at 16.6% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 10.3%, in 2008.

That places Namibia 15th out of 191 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.

Wage bill as a percentage of GDP in Namibia, year by year

Annual values for Wage bill as a percentage of GDP in Namibia, 2000 to 2022.
Year Value Change
2000 12.9% —
2001 13.6% +5.4%
2002 12.9% -5.6%
2003 13.3% +3.2%
2004 12.5% -5.6%
2005 12.1% -3.2%
2006 11.7% -3.7%
2007 10.9% -6.9%
2008 10.3% -5.2%
2009 11.3% +9.6%
2010 12.3% +8.7%
2011 13.3% +8.1%
2012 12.5% -6.0%
2013 14.1% +13.2%
2014 15.1% +6.6%
2015 15.7% +4.0%
2016 16.1% +2.9%
2017 16.2% +0.3%
2018 15.8% -2.2%
2019 16.0% +1.0%
2020 16.6% +4.3%
2021 16.2% -2.7%
2022 14.7% -9.0%

Namibia compared with similar countries

  • Namibia's 14.7% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 6.3%, 2.4× the median. (45 countries reporting)
  • Namibia's 14.7% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 5.6%, 2.6× the median. (48 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 12.2% 10.3% 13.6% 10
2010s 14.7% 12.3% 16.2% 10
2020s 15.9% 14.7% 16.6% 3

Countries ranked near Namibia

  1. 12 Tunisia 15.1% compare
  2. 13 Iceland 14.9% compare
  3. 14 Kyrgyzstan 14.7% compare
  4. 16 Tonga 14.6% compare
  5. 17 Mozambique 14.5% compare
  6. 18 Denmark 14.4% compare

See the full ranking of 191 places →

More reference data data for Namibia

All data for Namibia →

Frequently asked questions

What is wage bill as a percentage of gdp in Namibia?
Wage bill as a percentage of gdp in Namibia was 14.7% in 2022, according to the World Bank.
What is the highest wage bill as a percentage of gdp recorded in Namibia?
The highest recorded value was 16.6% in 2020.
What is the lowest wage bill as a percentage of gdp recorded in Namibia?
The lowest recorded value was 10.3% in 2008.
How does Namibia rank for wage bill as a percentage of gdp?
Namibia ranks 15th out of 191 countries with data for 2022.
Is wage bill as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Namibia?
Over the last ten years it is up 18.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Namibia data come from?
The figures come from the World Bank, published as part of Wage bill as a percentage of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Wage bill as a percentage of GDP in Namibia. Statizoid. Retrieved 29 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/wage-bill-as-a-percentage-of-gdp/namibia/

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About this data

Indicator
Wage bill as a percentage of GDP
Source
World Bank
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
191 places, 4,127 data points, 2000–2022
Last refreshed