Central government spending as share of GDP in Namibia
Namibia: Central government spending as share of GDP was 36.2% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Central government spending as share of GDP in Namibia, 1991–2023
Source: International Monetary Fund (IMF), OECD, and World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for central government spending as share of gdp in Namibia is 36.2%, measured in 2023.
The figure is up 1.2% on the previous year and up 2.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, central government spending as share of gdp in Namibia peaked at 40.3% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 22.9%, in 2007.
Namibia ranks 30th of 157 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Central government spending as share of GDP in Namibia, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 30.1% | — |
| 1992 | 29.6% | -1.8% |
| 1999 | 29.3% | -1.1% |
| 2000 | 28.1% | -3.9% |
| 2001 | 28.9% | +2.8% |
| 2002 | 27.3% | -5.4% |
| 2003 | 28.7% | +4.9% |
| 2004 | 25.6% | -10.7% |
| 2005 | 25.4% | -0.8% |
| 2006 | 24.0% | -5.6% |
| 2007 | 22.9% | -4.3% |
| 2008 | 25.2% | +9.7% |
| 2009 | 27.0% | +7.5% |
| 2010 | 28.1% | +3.9% |
| 2011 | 34.2% | +21.7% |
| 2012 | 31.7% | -7.3% |
| 2013 | 35.4% | +11.9% |
| 2014 | 37.2% | +4.8% |
| 2015 | 38.0% | +2.3% |
| 2016 | 35.5% | -6.7% |
| 2017 | 38.6% | +8.8% |
| 2018 | 35.1% | -9.0% |
| 2019 | 34.5% | -1.6% |
| 2020 | 40.3% | +16.8% |
| 2021 | 37.6% | -6.7% |
| 2022 | 35.7% | -5.0% |
| 2023 | 36.2% | +1.2% |
Namibia compared with similar countries
- Namibia's 36.2% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 22.3%, 1.6× the median. (37 countries reporting)
- Namibia's 36.2% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 16.5%, 2.2× the median. (36 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 29.7% | 29.3% | 30.1% | 3 |
| 2000s | 26.3% | 22.9% | 28.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 34.8% | 28.1% | 38.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 37.5% | 35.7% | 40.3% | 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 central government spending as share of gdp in Namibia?
- Central government spending as share of gdp in Namibia was 36.2% in 2023, according to International Monetary Fund (IMF), OECD, and World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest central government spending as share of gdp recorded in Namibia?
- The highest recorded value was 40.3% in 2020.
- What is the lowest central government spending as share of gdp recorded in Namibia?
- The lowest recorded value was 22.9% in 2007.
- How does Namibia rank for central government spending as share of gdp?
- Namibia ranks 30th out of 157 countries with data for 2023.
- Is central government spending as share of gdp rising or falling in Namibia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Namibia data come from?
- The figures come from International Monetary Fund (IMF), OECD, and World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Central government spending as share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 27 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Central government expense (cash payments for operating activities of the government in providing goods and services), as share of GDP. It excludes capital investment, such as infrastructure or equipment.