Namibia vs Zambia
Namibia vs Zambia: GDP growth
GDP growth in 2025: 1.7% a year in Namibia and 3.8% a year in Zambia, by IMF estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Zambia, by 2 percentage points, or 2.17 times that in Namibia.
% a year · IMF
What the numbers say
- Zambia has been higher since 2023, when it overtook Namibia.
- In 2025, Namibia ranked 109 and Zambia ranked 58 of 143 countries, counting from the highest.
- The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Namibia at 3% a year and Zambia at 5.3% a year in 2031.
Every year
% a year · IMF
| Year | Namibia | Zambia |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1.7 | 3.8 |
| 2024 | 3.8 | 3.8 |
| 2023 | 4.3 | 5.4 |
| 2022 | 5.4 | 5.2 |
| 2021 | 3.6 | 6.2 |
| 2020 | -8.1 | -2.8 |
| 2019 | -0.8 | 1.4 |
| 2018 | 1.1 | 4 |
| 2017 | -1 | 3.5 |
| 2016 | 0 | 3.8 |
| 2015 | 4.3 | 2.9 |
| 2014 | 6.1 | 4.7 |
| 2013 | 5.6 | 5.1 |
| 2012 | 5.1 | 7.6 |
| 2011 | 5.1 | 5.6 |
| 2010 | 6 | 10.3 |
| 2009 | 0.3 | 9.2 |
| 2008 | 2.7 | 7.8 |
| 2007 | 3.6 | 8.4 |
| 2006 | 3.9 | 7.9 |
| 2005 | 4.7 | 7.2 |
| 2004 | 6.6 | 7 |
| 2003 | 3.5 | 6.9 |
| 2002 | 6.7 | 4.5 |
| 2001 | 2.4 | 5.3 |
| 2000 | 3.5 | 3.9 |
| 1999 | 3.4 | 4.7 |
| 1998 | 3.3 | -0.4 |
| 1997 | 4.2 | 3.8 |
| 1996 | 3.2 | 6.2 |
| 1995 | 4.1 | 2.9 |
| 1994 | 3 | -13.3 |
| 1993 | -1.6 | -0.1 |
| 1992 | 9.3 | 2.1 |
| 1991 | 5.3 | -0.7 |
| 1990 | – | -0.6 |
| 1989 | – | -3.7 |
| 1988 | – | 9.3 |
| 1987 | – | 1.5 |
| 1986 | – | 1.7 |
| 1985 | – | 1.2 |
| 1984 | – | -1.7 |
| 1983 | – | -1.1 |
| 1982 | – | -2.9 |
| 1981 | – | 6.6 |
| 1980 | – | 3.9 |
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
| Year | Namibia | Zambia |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2 | 5.6 |
| 2027 | 2.7 | 4.9 |
| 2028 | 3 | 5 |
| 2029 | 3.1 | 5.3 |
| 2030 | 3 | 5.3 |
| 2031 | 3 | 5.3 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- How much the economy grew or shrank in a year, after inflation.
- Source: IMF, World Economic Outlook, October 2026.
- The dashed line is the IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026), a scenario rather than a forecast.
- Ranks count the 143 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
Namibia vs Zambia
Health
- Life expectancyNamibia: 67.4 years in 2023Zambia: 66.4 years in 2023
- Child mortalityNamibia: 4 per 100 live births in 2024Zambia: 4.8 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityNamibia: 27.2 per 1,000 live births in 2023Zambia: 38.2 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionNamibia: 3.46% in 2017Zambia: 3.64% in 2017
- Suicide rateNamibia: 11.8 per 100,000 people in 2017Zambia: 13.1 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationNamibia: 2.96 million people in 2023Zambia: 20.7 million people in 2023
- Population growthNamibia: 2.37% a year in 2023Zambia: 2.83% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateNamibia: 3.21 births per woman in 2023Zambia: 4.1 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationNamibia: 50.9% in 2025Zambia: 45.9% in 2025
- Median ageNamibia: 21 years in 2023Zambia: 17.5 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overNamibia: 3.6% in 2023Zambia: 1.9% in 2023
- Net migration rateNamibia: 3.9 per 1,000 people in 2023Zambia: 0.5 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingNamibia: 2.77% of GDP in 2025Zambia: 1.26% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsNamibia: $386M in 2025Zambia: $343M in 2025
- Military spending per personNamibia: $134 in 2025Zambia: $19 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingNamibia: 7% of government spending in 2025Zambia: 4.5% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelNamibia: 16,000 people in 2020Zambia: 16,000 people in 2020
- National powerNamibia: 0.02% of world capability in 2022Zambia: 0.1% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersNamibia: 1.67% of the labour force in 2020Zambia: 0.24% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsNamibia: 0 TIV in 2025Zambia: 1 million TIV in 2024