At least 46.6% out of 756,339 Namibian households depend on salaries and wages as their main source of income, a recent report has revealed.
According to the Namibia Statistics Agency’s Housing and Population Census report, 13.8% of households depend on old-age pensions for survival, 10.7% rely on farming, and 3.6% on government social grants.
The report highlights that salaries and/or wages are the primary income source for 59.7% of urban households and 30.8% of rural households.
“Livelihood referred to here is not only in monetary terms but also in terms of the main products being produced for consumption or sale,” the report said.
The report also provides insights into education levels among Namibians aged 15 and above. According to the data, 44.7% of individuals out of school have completed primary education, 24.8% have reached secondary education, and 11.8% have attained tertiary education.
Furthermore, it is reported that Namibia’s urban population has grown steadily, with urbanisation rates increasing from 28% in 1991 to 50% in 2023.
The towns of Nkurenkuru and Divundu experienced the fastest annual growth rates at 23.6% and 17.1%, respectively.
Windhoek remains the most populous urban centre, with 486,301 residents, followed by Rundu, Walvis Bay, Swakopmund and Oshakati.
“Khomas and Erongo regions recorded the highest urbanisation rates of 98.3% and 90.0%, the least urbanisation rates were recorded in Kavango West (8.5%) and Omusati (11.1%) regions,” the report read.
The report also states that Khomas recorded 253,170 in-migrants, and Erongo, with 130,870, saw the highest number of lifetime migrants. In contrast, regions like Kavango West had lower migration rates, with 13,551 people moving in.
“Ohangwena and Omusati recorded the highest movement of 149,238 and 127,331 people, while the Zambezi region recorded the least movement of 17,621 people. Overall, 142,377 who were born outside Namibia reside in Namibia at the census reference night, for whom most of them are found in the regions of Khomas (27,785), Zambezi (18,945) and Omusati (16,227),” the report read.
