Risk of impoverishing expenditure for surgical care in Namibia

Namibia: Risk of impoverishing expenditure for surgical care was 26.9% in 2022. ▼ Falling

Latest (2022)
26.9%
Change on year
down 6.6%
World rank
53rd
of 134 countries
All-time high
45.7%
in 2003
All-time low
26.9%
in 2022
Years of data
14
2003–2022

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

010203040502003201220222003: 45.7 % of people at risk2004: 44.3 % of people at risk2009: 36.2 % of people at risk2010: 37.6 % of people at risk2011: 36.4 % of people at risk2012: 35 % of people at risk2013: 33.7 % of people at risk2014: 33.2 % of people at risk2015: 28.6 % of people at risk2018: 28.3 % of people at risk2019: 28.5 % of people at risk2020: 30.6 % of people at risk2021: 28.8 % of people at risk2022: 26.9 % 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 26.9% for risk of impoverishing expenditure for surgical care in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 14 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 6.6% on the previous year and down 23.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, risk of impoverishing expenditure for surgical care in Namibia peaked at 45.7% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 26.9%, in 2022.

That places Namibia 53rd 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 impoverishing expenditure for surgical care in Namibia, year by year

Annual values for Risk of impoverishing expenditure for surgical care (% of people at risk) in Namibia, 2003 to 2022.
Year % of people at risk Change
2003 45.7%
2004 44.3% -3.1%
2009 36.2% -18.3%
2010 37.6% +3.9%
2011 36.4% -3.2%
2012 35.0% -3.8%
2013 33.7% -3.7%
2014 33.2% -1.5%
2015 28.6% -13.9%
2018 28.3% -1.0%
2019 28.5% +0.7%
2020 30.6% +7.4%
2021 28.8% -5.9%
2022 26.9% -6.6%

Namibia compared with similar countries

  • Namibia's 26.9% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 49.4%, 54% of the median. (36 countries reporting)
  • Namibia's 26.9% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 70.3%, 38% of the median. (36 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 42.1% 36.2% 45.7% 3
2010s 32.7% 28.3% 37.6% 8
2020s 28.8% 26.9% 30.6% 3

Countries ranked near Namibia

  1. 50 Algeria 29.1% compare
  2. 51 Cape Verde 28.0% compare
  3. 52 Ethiopia 27.7% compare
  4. 54 Mongolia 26.6% compare
  5. 55 Vanuatu 26.1% compare
  6. 56 Lao People's Democratic Republic 26.0% compare

See the full ranking of 173 places →

More health data for Namibia

All data for Namibia →

Frequently asked questions

What is risk of impoverishing expenditure for surgical care in Namibia?
Risk of impoverishing expenditure for surgical care in Namibia was 26.9% in 2022, according to Program in Global Surgery and Social Change (PGSSC), Harvard Medical School.
What is the highest risk of impoverishing expenditure for surgical care recorded in Namibia?
The highest recorded value was 45.7% in 2003.
What is the lowest risk of impoverishing expenditure for surgical care recorded in Namibia?
The lowest recorded value was 26.9% in 2022.
How does Namibia rank for risk of impoverishing expenditure for surgical care?
Namibia ranks 53rd out of 134 countries with data for 2022.
Is risk of impoverishing expenditure for surgical care rising or falling in Namibia?
Over the last ten years it is down 23.1%. 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 impoverishing expenditure for surgical care (% of people at risk). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Risk of impoverishing expenditure for surgical care in Namibia. Statizoid, drawing on Program in Global Surgery and Social Change (PGSSC), Harvard Medical School. Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/risk-of-impoverishing-expenditure-for-surgical-care-percent-of-people-at-risk/namibia/

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About this data

Indicator
Risk of impoverishing 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 impoverishing expenditure when surgical care is required. Impoverishing expenditure is defined as direct out of pocket payments for surgical and anaesthesia care which drive people below a poverty threshold (using a threshold of $2.15 PPP/day).