The Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA) says the 2025/2026 Namibia Household Income and Expenditure Survey (NHIES) cost it N$129.4 million, as data collection for the nationwide exercise comes to an end.
The 12-month survey, which concluded on 22 April 2026, covered all 14 regions and collected data from 11,016 households across 918 primary sampling units.
Of the total amount, N$38.6 million was spent on field staff remuneration and training, while N$32 million went towards the purchase of 46 vehicles for the duration of the survey.
Additional costs covered logistics, data processing, public awareness campaigns and IT infrastructure.
“The NHIES represents a significant national investment in statistical development, with financial resources committed from the pilot phase through to the completion of fieldwork amounting to N$129,410,392, of which N$38.6 million was used for the remuneration of the field staff for 12 months and four weeks’ training allowances for the 237 field staff prior to the data collection exercise. A total of N$32 million was also used to purchase 46 vehicles for this 12-month survey instead of renting these 46 vehicles,” the agency said.
A total of 153 field staff, including 51 supervisors and 102 interviewers, were deployed, supported by 84 trained reserves.
“NHIES employed 153 field staff, of which 51 were Team Supervisors and 102 were Interviewers, while reserves, people who were also trained but were on standby for any possible replacement, were 84,” the NSA said.
The survey was conducted over 18 rounds to capture seasonal changes in household income, spending and consumption patterns. Data was collected using tablets under a Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing system, alongside daily record books completed by households over a 14-day period.
The NHIES is used to measure poverty and inequality, assess living conditions and inform economic and policy decisions. It also feeds into the compilation of national accounts, the rebasing of the Consumer Price Index and inflation measurement.
With fieldwork now complete, the NSA has moved into data processing, validation and analysis, with the final report expected to be released by the end of March 2027.
