Healthy life expectancy in Namibia
Namibia: Healthy life expectancy was 52.82 Years in 2021. ▲ Rising
Healthy life expectancy in Namibia, 2000–2021
Source: World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in Years.
Analysis
Namibia recorded 52.82 Years for healthy life expectancy in 2021.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 5.2% on the previous year and down 0.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, healthy life expectancy in Namibia peaked at 55.72 Years in 2020 and was at its lowest, 45.4 Years, in 2003.
That places Namibia 173rd out of 185 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.
Healthy life expectancy in Namibia, year by year
| Year | Years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 46.72 Years | — |
| 2001 | 46.19 Years | -1.1% |
| 2002 | 45.68 Years | -1.1% |
| 2003 | 45.4 Years | -0.6% |
| 2004 | 45.61 Years | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 46.59 Years | +2.1% |
| 2006 | 48.11 Years | +3.3% |
| 2007 | 49.88 Years | +3.7% |
| 2008 | 51.38 Years | +3.0% |
| 2009 | 52.12 Years | +1.4% |
| 2010 | 52.66 Years | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 53.29 Years | +1.2% |
| 2012 | 53.79 Years | +0.9% |
| 2013 | 54.12 Years | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 54.18 Years | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 54.12 Years | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 54.3 Years | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 54.57 Years | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 54.97 Years | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 55.53 Years | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 55.72 Years | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 52.82 Years | -5.2% |
Namibia compared with similar countries
- Namibia's 52.82 Years is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 58.22 Years, 91% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Namibia's 52.82 Years is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 54.75 Years, 96% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 47.77 Years | 45.4 Years | 52.12 Years | 10 |
| 2010s | 54.15 Years | 52.66 Years | 55.53 Years | 10 |
| 2020s | 54.27 Years | 52.82 Years | 55.72 Years | 2 |
Countries ranked near Namibia
More health data for Namibia
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.75 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.6445 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,046 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 561 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 1 (2024)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -1.83 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0644 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -1.56 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is healthy life expectancy in Namibia?
- Healthy life expectancy in Namibia was 52.82 Years in 2021, according to World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest healthy life expectancy recorded in Namibia?
- The highest recorded value was 55.72 Years in 2020.
- What is the lowest healthy life expectancy recorded in Namibia?
- The lowest recorded value was 45.4 Years in 2003.
- How does Namibia rank for healthy life expectancy?
- Namibia ranks 173rd out of 185 countries with data for 2021.
- Is healthy life expectancy rising or falling in Namibia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Namibia data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Healthy life expectancy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 22 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The estimated average number of years lived free from disability or disease burden. This is based on period life expectancy, after adjusting for the number of years lived in less than "full health" due to disease and/or injury.