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Namibia — Labor participation
Labor Force Participation Rate for Namibia, 1990–2025.
Latest value · 2025
58.84%
Labor Force Participation Rate · % of population ages 15+ · +6.8% since 1990
Labor participation for Namibia was 58.84% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 36 years, from 1990 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 61.70% in 2013. The lowest was 53.50% in 1997 (about 1.1× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 0.19% per year.
Namibia ranks 112 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 60%. The median for Sub-Saharan Africa is 64.31%, so Namibia sits below it. It peaked in 2013 and has fallen 5% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved down 3%.
Key figures
Latest (2025)
58.84%
First (1990)
55.12%
Change
+6.8%
Highest
61.70%
in 2013
Lowest
53.50%
in 1997
Average
56.67%
Annual growth (CAGR)
0.19%
Years of data
36
Recent years
| Year | % of population ages 15+ |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 58.84% |
| 2024 | 58.87% |
| 2023 | 58.9% |
| 2022 | 58.91% |
| 2021 | 56.48% |
| 2020 | 55.98% |
| 2019 | 58.92% |
| 2018 | 58.88% |
| 2017 | 59.67% |
| 2016 | 60.45% |
| 2015 | 60.64% |
| 2014 | 60.83% |
Reading this correctly. Proportion of the population aged 15 and above that is economically active: supplying labor for the production of goods and services. Figures are in % of population ages 15+. Comparing this series with a different measure of the same concept (for example a nominal figure against a purchasing-power-parity figure) will give misleading results.
Related data
Source. World Bank Open Data, indicator
SL.TLF.CACT.ZS — Labor Force Participation Rate. Data licensed under CC BY 4.0. Values are reproduced as published; this page computes the summary statistics (change, CAGR, extremes) from the underlying annual series. View the original dataset on data.worldbank.org.