Stena Drilling’s 18-year-old drillship is on its way to Namibia
Stena Drilling’s drillship is going to Namibia to begin its next offshore campaign, expected to target Shell’s PEL 39 license.
Namibia
Namibia is a lower middle income economy in Sub-Saharan Africa, with its capital at Windhoek. 59.3% of its people had electricity in 2024.
- Electricity access
- 59.3%
- 2024, world 91.9%
- Renewable electricity
- 93.4%
- 2021, world 27.8%
- CO₂ per person
- 1.20 t
- 2024, world 4.69 t
- Consumption per person
- 1,246 kWh
- 2024, world 3,708 kWh
- Clean cooking
- 46.0%
- 2024, world 75.4%
- GDP per person
- 4,876
- 2025, world 14,406
Electricity generation mix
- Oil
- Coal
- Gas
- Hydro
- Nuclear
- Solar, wind & other
Namibia2024
Sub-Saharan Africa2024
World2025
View data table
| Economy | Oil | Coal | Gas | Hydro | Nuclear | Solar, wind & other | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Namibia | 0.2% | 1.7% | 0.0% | 78.1% | 0.0% | 25.6% | 2024 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | 5.0% | 42.9% | 14.0% | 29.9% | 1.6% | 4.3% | 2024 |
| World | 1.2% | 15.1% | 28.7% | 15.2% | 15.2% | 12.4% | 2025 |
Share of electricity production by source, latest year available. Shares may not sum to exactly 100% because of rounding and minor sources.
Access to electricity
% of population, compared with Sub-Saharan Africa and the world.
- Namibia
- World
- Sub-Saharan Africa
0%
50%
100%
WorldNamibiaSub-Saharan Africa View data table
| Year | Namibia | World | Sub-Saharan Africa |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 59.3% | 91.9% | 55.1% |
| 2023 | 56.7% | 91.6% | 53.3% |
| 2022 | 56.2% | 91.3% | 51.5% |
| 2021 | 55.2% | 91.3% | 50.7% |
| 2020 | 52.3% | 90.4% | 48.5% |
| 2019 | 53.3% | 90.1% | 47.2% |
| 2018 | 52.3% | 89.8% | 46.4% |
| 2017 | 52.5% | 88.9% | 43.8% |
| 2016 | 49.7% | 88.1% | 43.8% |
| 2015 | 51.6% | 86.9% | 39.2% |
| 2014 | 48.4% | 86.2% | 38.4% |
| 2013 | 47.4% | 85.7% | 38.0% |
| 2012 | 46.4% | 84.9% | 36.8% |
| 2011 | 42.3% | 84.5% | 35.9% |
| 2010 | 44.4% | 83.5% | 33.3% |
| 2009 | 44.1% | 82.9% | 32.6% |
| 2008 | 42.4% | 82.7% | 32.4% |
| 2007 | 43.7% | 82.0% | 32.5% |
| 2006 | 40.5% | 81.4% | 31.2% |
| 2005 | 39.6% | 80.7% | 29.4% |
| 2004 | 38.7% | 80.0% | 29.4% |
| 2003 | 37.8% | 80.0% | 29.6% |
| 2002 | 36.9% | 79.1% | 27.3% |
| 2001 | 36.0% | 78.7% | 26.2% |
| 2000 | 36.5% | 78.2% | 25.7% |
| 1999 | 34.0% | 74.5% | 30.1% |
| 1998 | 33.0% | 73.2% | 28.6% |
| 1997 | 32.0% | – | 28.4% |
| 1996 | 31.0% | – | 28.5% |
| 1995 | 30.0% | – | – |
Emissions
CO₂ per person, tonnes, excluding land use.
- Namibia
- World
- Sub-Saharan Africa
0 t
2 t
4 t
6 t
WorldNamibiaSub-Saharan Africa View data table
| Year | Namibia | World | Sub-Saharan Africa |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1.20 t | 4.69 t | 0.70 t |
| 2023 | 1.22 t | 4.68 t | 0.70 t |
| 2022 | 1.24 t | 4.67 t | 0.72 t |
| 2021 | 1.32 t | 4.68 t | 0.75 t |
| 2020 | 1.30 t | 4.47 t | 0.73 t |
| 2019 | 1.46 t | 4.70 t | 0.79 t |
| 2018 | 1.48 t | 4.73 t | 0.80 t |
| 2017 | 1.50 t | 4.67 t | 0.80 t |
| 2016 | 1.60 t | 4.65 t | 0.81 t |
| 2015 | 1.50 t | 4.70 t | 0.82 t |
| 2014 | 1.39 t | 4.78 t | 0.86 t |
| 2013 | 1.38 t | 4.81 t | 0.85 t |
| 2012 | 1.36 t | 4.77 t | 0.82 t |
| 2011 | 1.33 t | 4.76 t | 0.82 t |
| 2010 | 1.27 t | 4.67 t | 0.84 t |
| 2009 | 1.47 t | 4.45 t | 0.82 t |
| 2008 | 1.45 t | 4.56 t | 0.89 t |
| 2007 | 1.29 t | 4.59 t | 0.86 t |
| 2006 | 1.27 t | 4.48 t | 0.86 t |
| 2005 | 1.31 t | 4.39 t | 0.89 t |
| 2004 | 1.23 t | 4.28 t | 0.89 t |
| 2003 | 1.19 t | 4.15 t | 0.86 t |
| 2002 | 1.13 t | 4.02 t | 0.84 t |
| 2001 | 1.32 t | 4.01 t | 0.85 t |
| 2000 | 1.05 t | 4.01 t | 0.85 t |
| 1999 | 1.12 t | 3.95 t | 0.85 t |
| 1998 | 1.21 t | 3.98 t | 0.89 t |
| 1997 | 1.20 t | 4.02 t | 0.91 t |
| 1996 | 1.19 t | 4.01 t | 0.90 t |
| 1995 | 1.12 t | 3.99 t | 0.87 t |
Currency
16.54 NAD
per US dollar, mid-market reference. 1 NAD = ₦80.48
Sunshine in Windhoek
7.1 kWh/m² today
- Tu7.1 kWh per square metre
- We8.1 kWh per square metre
- Th8.1 kWh per square metre
- Fr6.1 kWh per square metre
- Sa6.1 kWh per square metre
- Su5.6 kWh per square metre
- Mo8.4 kWh per square metre
Open-Meteo forecast, modelled irradiation.
Power plants
Installed capacity by fuel
13 plants, 503 MW recorded in WRI’s Global Power Plant Database.
- Hydro240 MW
- Coal120 MW
- Solar83 MW
- Oil60 MW
Snapshot as of the database’s 2021 release; newer plants are not included. Nameplate capacity, not available generation.
Largest plants
| Plant | Fuel | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ruacana | Hydro | 240 | – |
| Van Eck | Coal | 120 | – |
| Arandis | Solar | 50 | – |
| Paratus (Walvis) | Oil | 26 | – |
| Anixas | Oil | 24 | – |
| Langer-Heinrich | Oil | 10 | – |
| Otjikoto | Solar | 7 | – |
| Aussenkehr | Solar | 5 | – |
| Ohorongo | Solar | 5 | – |
| Osona | Solar | 5 | – |
| Otjiwarongo Pv | Solar | 5 | – |
| Omburu | Solar | 5 | – |
All indicators
Namibia in numbers
Energy access
| Indicator | Namibia | Year | Sub-Saharan Africa | World |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Access to electricity % of population | 59.3% | 2024 | 55.1% | 91.9% |
| Access to electricity, rural % of rural population | 41.1% | 2024 | 35.7% | 84.9% |
| Access to electricity, urban % of urban population | 77.2% | 2024 | 82.9% | 97.8% |
| Access to clean fuels and technologies for cooking % of population | 46.0% | 2024 | 22.9% | 75.4% |
Power supply and mix
| Indicator | Namibia | Year | Sub-Saharan Africa | World |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electricity production from coal % of total | 1.7% | 2024 | 42.9% | 15.1% |
| Electricity production from natural gas % of total | 0.0% | 2021 | 14.0% | 28.7% |
| Electricity production from oil % of total | 0.2% | 2024 | 5.0% | 1.2% |
| Electricity production from nuclear % of total | 0.0% | 2021 | 1.6% | 15.2% |
| Electricity production from hydroelectric sources % of total | 78.1% | 2024 | 29.9% | 15.2% |
| Electric power transmission and distribution losses % of output | 17.8% | 2024 | 13.4% | 6.9% |
| Electric power consumption per capita kWh per capita | 1,246 kWh | 2024 | 380 kWh | 3,708 kWh |
Energy transition
| Indicator | Namibia | Year | Sub-Saharan Africa | World |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electricity production from renewables, excluding hydro % of total | 25.6% | 2021 | 4.3% | 12.4% |
| Renewable electricity output % of total electricity output | 93.4% | 2021 | 32.6% | 27.8% |
| Renewable energy consumption % of total final energy consumption | 30.0% | 2021 | 70.3% | 19.7% |
| CO₂ emissions per capita (excluding LULUCF) t CO₂e per capita | 1.20 t | 2024 | 0.70 t | 4.69 t |
| CO₂ emissions, total (excluding LULUCF) Mt CO₂e | 3.6 Mt | 2024 | 896.3 Mt | 39,632.7 Mt |
| Energy intensity of primary energy MJ per $2017 PPP GDP | 3.45 MJ/$ | 2021 | 6.14 MJ/$ | 4.54 MJ/$ |
Energy economy
| Indicator | Namibia | Year | Sub-Saharan Africa | World |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fuel exports % of merchandise exports | 1.3% | 2024 | 40.9% | 9.5% |
| Oil rents % of GDP | 0.00% | 2021 | 3.80% | 1.36% |
| Natural gas rents % of GDP | 0.00% | 2021 | 0.49% | 0.52% |
| GDP per capita current US$ | 4,876 | 2025 | 1,673 | 14,406 |
| Population, total people | 3.1M | 2025 | 1.3B | 8.2B |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0). Latest year available per series.
Namibia in the newsroom