Government spending as share of GDP in Namibia
Namibia: Government spending as share of GDP was 39.9% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Government spending as share of GDP in Namibia, 1990–2024
Source: International Monetary Fund (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Namibia recorded 39.9% for government spending as share of gdp in 2024.
That represents a change of up 7.9% on the previous year and down 4.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending as share of gdp in Namibia peaked at 43.7% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 26.1%, in 2007.
Namibia ranks 42nd of 151 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Government spending as share of GDP in Namibia, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 30.2% | — |
| 1991 | 33.0% | +9.2% |
| 1992 | 32.8% | -0.7% |
| 1993 | 32.4% | -1.1% |
| 1994 | 28.7% | -11.5% |
| 1995 | 29.6% | +3.2% |
| 1996 | 30.4% | +2.7% |
| 1997 | 30.9% | +1.6% |
| 1998 | 31.3% | +1.1% |
| 1999 | 31.8% | +1.8% |
| 2000 | 30.1% | -5.4% |
| 2001 | 30.7% | +2.0% |
| 2002 | 29.8% | -2.9% |
| 2003 | 31.1% | +4.2% |
| 2004 | 28.4% | -8.7% |
| 2005 | 27.7% | -2.4% |
| 2006 | 27.4% | -1.2% |
| 2007 | 26.1% | -4.7% |
| 2008 | 28.4% | +8.9% |
| 2009 | 32.0% | +12.6% |
| 2010 | 33.5% | +4.7% |
| 2011 | 38.5% | +14.9% |
| 2012 | 35.0% | -8.9% |
| 2013 | 38.3% | +9.3% |
| 2014 | 41.8% | +9.1% |
| 2015 | 43.7% | +4.5% |
| 2016 | 41.8% | -4.4% |
| 2017 | 38.1% | -8.8% |
| 2018 | 36.3% | -4.6% |
| 2019 | 37.4% | +3.0% |
| 2020 | 41.5% | +10.9% |
| 2021 | 39.3% | -5.3% |
| 2022 | 36.6% | -6.9% |
| 2023 | 37.0% | +1.2% |
| 2024 | 39.9% | +7.9% |
Namibia compared with similar countries
- Namibia's 39.9% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 23.3%, 1.7× the median. (37 countries reporting)
- Namibia's 39.9% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 20.6%, 1.9× the median. (33 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 31.1% | 28.7% | 33.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 29.2% | 26.1% | 32.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 38.4% | 33.5% | 43.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 38.8% | 36.6% | 41.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Namibia
More economy & growth data for Namibia
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.07 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 2.64 Percent per annum (2029)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps 44.40 million BoP, current US$ (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0033 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 14.65 BoP, current US$ per person (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 1.93 billion BoP, current US$ (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual -15.67 % change on previous year (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.1418 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 638.56 BoP, current US$ per person (2024)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate -7.48 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending as share of gdp in Namibia?
- Government spending as share of gdp in Namibia was 39.9% in 2024, according to International Monetary Fund (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest government spending as share of gdp recorded in Namibia?
- The highest recorded value was 43.7% in 2015.
- What is the lowest government spending as share of gdp recorded in Namibia?
- The lowest recorded value was 26.1% in 2007.
- How does Namibia rank for government spending as share of gdp?
- Namibia ranks 42nd out of 151 countries with data for 2024.
- Is government spending as share of gdp rising or falling in Namibia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Namibia data come from?
- The figures come from International Monetary Fund (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Government spending as share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Sum of all the money spent by the government on goods and services, as a percentage of GDP. It includes interest paid on government debt.