Namibia vs Zambia
Namibia vs Zambia: Inflation
Inflation in 2025: 3.5% a year in Namibia and 13.9% a year in Zambia, by IMF estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Zambia, by 10.4 percentage points, or 3.96 times that in Namibia.
% a year · IMF
What the numbers say
- Zambia has been higher since 2013, when it overtook Namibia.
- In 2025, Namibia ranked 70 and Zambia ranked 17 of 179 countries, counting from the highest.
- The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Namibia at 3% a year and Zambia at 7% a year in 2031.
Every year
% a year · IMF
| Year | Namibia | Zambia |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3.5 | 13.9 |
| 2024 | 4.2 | 15 |
| 2023 | 5.9 | 10.9 |
| 2022 | 6.1 | 11 |
| 2021 | 3.6 | 22 |
| 2020 | 2.2 | 15.7 |
| 2019 | 3.7 | 9.2 |
| 2018 | 4.3 | 7.5 |
| 2017 | 6.1 | 6.6 |
| 2016 | 6.7 | 17.9 |
| 2015 | 3.4 | 10.1 |
| 2014 | 5.3 | 7.8 |
| 2013 | 5.6 | 7 |
| 2012 | 6.7 | 6.6 |
| 2011 | 5 | 8.7 |
| 2010 | 4.9 | 8.5 |
| 2009 | 9.5 | 13.4 |
| 2008 | 9.1 | 12.5 |
| 2007 | 6.5 | 10.7 |
| 2006 | 5 | 9 |
| 2005 | 2.3 | 18.3 |
| 2004 | 4.1 | 18 |
| 2003 | 7.2 | 21.4 |
| 2002 | 12.7 | 22.2 |
| 2001 | 10.2 | 21.4 |
| 2000 | 10.2 | 24.1 |
| 1999 | 9.4 | 23.9 |
| 1998 | 6.6 | 22.7 |
| 1997 | 9.7 | 21.4 |
| 1996 | 8.7 | 38.6 |
| 1995 | 11.1 | 31.5 |
| 1994 | 12.1 | 46.1 |
| 1993 | 9.3 | 158.4 |
| 1992 | 21.6 | 146.7 |
| 1991 | 13.5 | 85.3 |
| 1990 | 13.7 | 93.9 |
| 1989 | – | 113.2 |
| 1988 | – | 45.8 |
| 1987 | – | 43 |
| 1986 | – | 48 |
| 1985 | – | 37.4 |
| 1984 | – | 20 |
| 1983 | – | 19.7 |
| 1982 | – | 12.5 |
| 1981 | – | 14 |
| 1980 | – | 11.7 |
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
| Year | Namibia | Zambia |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 4.1 | 8 |
| 2027 | 4.2 | 7.5 |
| 2028 | 3.3 | 7 |
| 2029 | 3 | 7 |
| 2030 | 3 | 7 |
| 2031 | 3 | 7 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- How much consumer prices rose in a year, on average.
- 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 179 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