Total factor productivity in Namibia
Namibia: Total factor productivity was 0.9912 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Total factor productivity in Namibia, 1964–2023
Source: Feenstra et al. – Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2023, total factor productivity in Namibia stood at 0.9912. That is the lowest value across all 60 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.3% on the previous year and down 18.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, total factor productivity in Namibia peaked at 1.4 in 1964 and was at its lowest, 0.9912, in 2023.
Namibia ranks 64th of 120 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 60 years of available data.
Total factor productivity in Namibia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1964 | 1.4 | — |
| 1965 | 1.38 | -1.7% |
| 1966 | 1.37 | -0.5% |
| 1967 | 1.31 | -4.2% |
| 1968 | 1.28 | -2.3% |
| 1969 | 1.29 | +0.8% |
| 1970 | 1.34 | +3.5% |
| 1971 | 1.35 | +0.5% |
| 1972 | 1.31 | -2.5% |
| 1973 | 1.31 | -0.4% |
| 1974 | 1.35 | +3.5% |
| 1975 | 1.34 | -0.8% |
| 1976 | 1.31 | -2.2% |
| 1977 | 1.26 | -3.6% |
| 1978 | 1.25 | -0.8% |
| 1979 | 1.26 | +0.6% |
| 1980 | 1.31 | +3.6% |
| 1981 | 1.27 | -2.6% |
| 1982 | 1.24 | -2.6% |
| 1983 | 1.19 | -4.3% |
| 1984 | 1.14 | -3.7% |
| 1985 | 1.11 | -2.9% |
| 1986 | 1.13 | +1.7% |
| 1987 | 1.13 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 1.1 | -3.0% |
| 1989 | 1.07 | -2.4% |
| 1990 | 1.05 | -2.3% |
| 1991 | 1.11 | +6.0% |
| 1992 | 1.16 | +4.9% |
| 1993 | 1.11 | -4.3% |
| 1994 | 1.09 | -1.8% |
| 1995 | 1.13 | +3.2% |
| 1996 | 1.16 | +2.8% |
| 1997 | 1.21 | +4.8% |
| 1998 | 1.22 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 1.23 | +1.0% |
| 2000 | 1.25 | +1.9% |
| 2001 | 1.23 | -1.9% |
| 2002 | 1.24 | +1.5% |
| 2003 | 1.27 | +1.7% |
| 2004 | 1.38 | +9.2% |
| 2005 | 1.35 | -2.0% |
| 2006 | 1.37 | +1.3% |
| 2007 | 1.37 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 1.33 | -3.2% |
| 2009 | 1.25 | -5.8% |
| 2010 | 1.25 | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 1.27 | +1.3% |
| 2012 | 1.26 | -0.6% |
| 2013 | 1.22 | -3.3% |
| 2014 | 1.08 | -11.0% |
| 2015 | 1.1 | +1.7% |
| 2016 | 1.09 | -0.6% |
| 2017 | 1.07 | -2.3% |
| 2018 | 1.07 | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 1.05 | -1.7% |
| 2020 | 0.9991 | -4.6% |
| 2021 | 1 | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 1 | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 0.9912 | -1.3% |
Namibia compared with similar countries
- Namibia's 0.9912 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.9979, 99% of the median. (26 countries reporting)
- Namibia's 0.9912 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.983, 1.0× the median. (27 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.34 | 1.28 | 1.4 | 6 |
| 1970s | 1.31 | 1.25 | 1.35 | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.17 | 1.07 | 1.31 | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.15 | 1.05 | 1.23 | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.3 | 1.23 | 1.38 | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.15 | 1.05 | 1.27 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.9987 | 0.9912 | 1 | 4 |
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 total factor productivity in Namibia?
- Total factor productivity in Namibia was 0.9912 in 2023, according to Feenstra et al. – Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest total factor productivity recorded in Namibia?
- The highest recorded value was 1.4 in 1964.
- What is the lowest total factor productivity recorded in Namibia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.9912 in 2023.
- How does Namibia rank for total factor productivity?
- Namibia ranks 64th out of 120 countries with data for 2023.
- Is total factor productivity rising or falling in Namibia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Namibia data come from?
- The figures come from Feenstra et al. – Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Total factor productivity. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 60 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
This is the level of total factor productivity, relative to each country's value in 2021 (which is set to 1). This data is adjusted for inflation and differences in living costs between countries.