Namibia vs Zambia
Namibia vs Zambia: Adult literacy
Adult literacy: 87.6% in Namibia in 2023 and 71.8% in Zambia in 2024, by UNESCO estimates. In 2018 the value was higher in Namibia, by 17.2 percentage points, or 1.24 times that in Zambia.
% of adults · UNESCO
What the numbers say
- Namibia has been higher in every year both have figures for since 2018.
- The world as a whole: 86.8% in 2018.
Every year
% of adults · UNESCO
| Year | Namibia | Zambia | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | – | 71.8 | 87.7 |
| 2023 | 87.6 | – | 87.6 |
| 2022 | – | 80 | 87.4 |
| 2021 | – | 80 | 87.2 |
| 2020 | – | 81.8 | 87 |
| 2019 | – | – | 86.8 |
| 2018 | 88.3 | 71.1 | 86.8 |
| 2017 | – | – | 86.5 |
| 2016 | 88.1 | – | 86.3 |
| 2015 | – | – | 86 |
| 2014 | – | – | 85.6 |
| 2013 | – | – | 85.2 |
| 2012 | – | – | 84.9 |
| 2011 | 88.3 | – | 84.7 |
| 2010 | – | 83.1 | 84.4 |
| 2009 | – | – | 83.8 |
| 2008 | – | – | 83.5 |
| 2007 | – | – | 83.1 |
| 2006 | – | – | 82.5 |
| 2005 | – | – | 82.6 |
| 2004 | – | – | 82.6 |
| 2003 | – | – | 82.2 |
| 2002 | – | 69.2 | 81.7 |
| 2001 | 84.9 | – | 81.4 |
| 2000 | – | – | 81.1 |
| 1999 | – | 68 | 80.9 |
| 1998 | – | – | 80.5 |
| 1997 | – | – | 79.3 |
| 1996 | – | – | 77.3 |
| 1995 | – | – | 76.9 |
| 1994 | – | – | 76.4 |
| 1993 | – | – | 76 |
| 1992 | – | – | 75.5 |
| 1991 | 75.8 | – | 75.1 |
| 1990 | – | 65 | 74.6 |
| 1989 | – | – | 74.1 |
| 1988 | – | – | 73.6 |
| 1987 | – | – | 71.9 |
| 1986 | – | – | 71.3 |
| 1985 | – | – | 70.7 |
| 1984 | – | – | 70.2 |
| 1983 | – | – | 69.5 |
| 1982 | – | – | 68.9 |
| 1981 | – | – | 68.4 |
| 1980 | – | – | 67.8 |
| 1979 | – | – | 67.2 |
| 1978 | – | – | 66.5 |
| 1977 | – | – | 65.9 |
| 1976 | – | – | 65.6 |
| 1975 | – | – | 65.4 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- The share of people aged 15 and over who can read and write a short, simple statement about their everyday life.
- Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics, via the World Bank.
- The faint line is the world as a whole, as the same source counts it.
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