Aakwanyama largest ethnic group in Namibia

The Aakwanyama are Namibia’s largest ethnic group, making up 23.6% percent of the country’s population.

This is according to data from the 2023 census report published by the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA) on Wednesday.

This corresponds to an absolute number of 712 165 individuals.

The Aandonga and Ovaherero are the next largest ethnic groups at 311 211 and 178 987 individuals, respectively.

As such, Aandongas make up 10.3% of Namibia’s population while Ovahereros constitute 5.9%.

Other large ethnic groups include the Damara (5.6%), Aakwambi (5.3%), Vakwangali (4.9%) and Nama (3.1%). The figures for Damaras and Namas include individuals the NSA has recorded as not elsewhere classified (generic ethnic).

According to the census, 2.4% of Namibia’s population belongs to a group the NSA calls “other African ethnic group”. This corresponds to 73 486 individuals.

White people make up just 1.8% of the population, ranking 15th in terms of the size of ethnic groups. A total of 53 773 white individuals were recorded by NSA in its report.

The smallest ethnic group reported by the NSA is /Auni and Nu-//en, with just 31 individuals.

Stay informed with The Namibian – your source for credible journalism. Get in-depth reporting and opinions for only N$85 a month. Invest in journalism, invest in democracy –
Subscribe Now!

Latest News