Risk of catastrophic expenditure for surgical care in Namibia

Namibia: Risk of catastrophic expenditure for surgical care was 11.5% in 2022. ▼ Falling

Latest (2022)
11.5%
Change on year
down 7.3%
World rank
67th
of 134 countries
All-time high
22.3%
in 2003
All-time low
11.5%
in 2022
Years of data
14
2003–2022

Risk of catastrophic expenditure for surgical care in Namibia, 2003–2022

051015202003201220222003: 22.3 % of people at risk2004: 21.2 % of people at risk2009: 18.4 % of people at risk2010: 20.1 % of people at risk2011: 20.4 % of people at risk2012: 20.2 % of people at risk2013: 18.4 % of people at risk2014: 17.3 % of people at risk2015: 12.2 % of people at risk2018: 12.8 % of people at risk2019: 12.8 % of people at risk2020: 13.2 % of people at risk2021: 12.4 % of people at risk2022: 11.5 % of people at risk

Source: Program in Global Surgery and Social Change (PGSSC), Harvard Medical School. Measured in % of people at risk.

Analysis

Namibia recorded 11.5% for risk of catastrophic expenditure for surgical care in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 14 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 7.3% on the previous year and down 43.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, risk of catastrophic expenditure for surgical care in Namibia peaked at 22.3% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 11.5%, in 2022.

That places Namibia 67th out of 134 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 14 years of available data.

Risk of catastrophic expenditure for surgical care in Namibia, year by year

Annual values for Risk of catastrophic expenditure for surgical care (% of people at risk) in Namibia, 2003 to 2022.
Year % of people at risk Change
2003 22.3%
2004 21.2% -4.9%
2009 18.4% -13.2%
2010 20.1% +9.2%
2011 20.4% +1.5%
2012 20.2% -1.0%
2013 18.4% -8.9%
2014 17.3% -6.0%
2015 12.2% -29.5%
2018 12.8% +4.9%
2019 12.8% +0.0%
2020 13.2% +3.1%
2021 12.4% -6.1%
2022 11.5% -7.3%

Namibia compared with similar countries

  • Namibia's 11.5% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 29.2%, 39% of the median. (36 countries reporting)
  • Namibia's 11.5% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 51.7%, 22% of the median. (36 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 20.6% 18.4% 22.3% 3
2010s 16.8% 12.2% 20.4% 8
2020s 12.4% 11.5% 13.2% 3

Countries ranked near Namibia

  1. 64 Chile 13.8% compare
  2. 65 Tunisia 13.6% compare
  3. 66 El Salvador 13.3% compare
  4. 67 South Africa 11.5% compare
  5. 69 Malaysia 11.3% compare
  6. 70 Algeria 10.8% compare
  7. 70 Russian Federation 10.8% compare
  8. 70 Seychelles 10.8% compare

See the full ranking of 173 places →

More health data for Namibia

All data for Namibia →

Frequently asked questions

What is risk of catastrophic expenditure for surgical care in Namibia?
Risk of catastrophic expenditure for surgical care in Namibia was 11.5% in 2022, according to Program in Global Surgery and Social Change (PGSSC), Harvard Medical School.
What is the highest risk of catastrophic expenditure for surgical care recorded in Namibia?
The highest recorded value was 22.3% in 2003.
What is the lowest risk of catastrophic expenditure for surgical care recorded in Namibia?
The lowest recorded value was 11.5% in 2022.
How does Namibia rank for risk of catastrophic expenditure for surgical care?
Namibia ranks 67th out of 134 countries with data for 2022.
Is risk of catastrophic expenditure for surgical care rising or falling in Namibia?
Over the last ten years it is down 43.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Namibia data come from?
The figures come from Program in Global Surgery and Social Change (PGSSC), Harvard Medical School, published as part of Risk of catastrophic expenditure for surgical care (% of people at risk). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Risk of catastrophic expenditure for surgical care in Namibia. Statizoid, drawing on Program in Global Surgery and Social Change (PGSSC), Harvard Medical School. Retrieved 14 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/risk-of-catastrophic-expenditure-for-surgical-care-percent-of-people-at-risk/namibia/

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About this data

Indicator
Risk of catastrophic expenditure for surgical care (% of people at risk)
Unit
% of people at risk
Source
Program in Global Surgery and Social Change (PGSSC), Harvard Medical School
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
173 places, 3,065 data points, 2003–2022
Last refreshed

The proportion of population at risk of catastrophic expenditure when surgical care is required. Catastrophic expenditure is defined as direct out of pocket payments for surgical and anaesthesia care exceeding 10% of total income.