Out-of-pocket expenditure in Namibia
Namibia: Out-of-pocket expenditure was 7.5% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Out-of-pocket expenditure in Namibia, 2000–2023
Source: Global Health Expenditure Database, updated December 12th, 2025, World Health Organization (WHO). Measured in % of current health expenditure.
Analysis
In 2023, out-of-pocket expenditure in Namibia stood at 7.5%.
That represents a change of down 0.8% on the previous year and down 15.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-pocket expenditure in Namibia peaked at 9.9% in 2012 and was at its lowest, 5.4%, in 2007.
That places Namibia 179th out of 193 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Out-of-pocket expenditure in Namibia, year by year
| Year | % of current health expenditure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 6.5% | — |
| 2001 | 6.7% | +2.1% |
| 2002 | 6.3% | -5.0% |
| 2003 | 6.6% | +4.2% |
| 2004 | 6.0% | -8.9% |
| 2005 | 5.8% | -4.2% |
| 2006 | 5.6% | -2.9% |
| 2007 | 5.4% | -2.7% |
| 2008 | 6.4% | +17.7% |
| 2009 | 7.8% | +21.0% |
| 2010 | 8.5% | +9.5% |
| 2011 | 9.3% | +9.8% |
| 2012 | 9.9% | +6.2% |
| 2013 | 8.9% | -10.3% |
| 2014 | 9.0% | +1.7% |
| 2015 | 7.3% | -18.9% |
| 2016 | 7.7% | +5.2% |
| 2017 | 7.8% | +1.2% |
| 2018 | 7.8% | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 7.5% | -3.3% |
| 2020 | 7.0% | -7.4% |
| 2021 | 7.3% | +4.5% |
| 2022 | 7.5% | +3.7% |
| 2023 | 7.5% | -0.8% |
Namibia compared with similar countries
- Namibia's 7.5% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 37.6%, 20% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Namibia's 7.5% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 32.4%, 23% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 6.3% | 5.4% | 7.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.4% | 7.3% | 9.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.3% | 7.0% | 7.5% | 4 |
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 out-of-pocket expenditure in Namibia?
- Out-of-pocket expenditure in Namibia was 7.5% in 2023, according to Global Health Expenditure Database, updated December 12th, 2025, World Health Organization (WHO).
- What is the highest out-of-pocket expenditure recorded in Namibia?
- The highest recorded value was 9.9% in 2012.
- What is the lowest out-of-pocket expenditure recorded in Namibia?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.4% in 2007.
- How does Namibia rank for out-of-pocket expenditure?
- Namibia ranks 179th out of 193 countries with data for 2023.
- Is out-of-pocket expenditure rising or falling in Namibia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Namibia data come from?
- The figures come from Global Health Expenditure Database, updated December 12th, 2025, World Health Organization (WHO), published as part of Out-of-pocket expenditure (% of current health expenditure). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Share of out-of-pocket payments of total current health expenditures. Out-of-pocket payments are spending on health directly out-of-pocket by households.