Namibia in Numbers: Namibians’ Opinions on Most Important Problems (2024)

In the 2024 Afrobarometer survey undertaken by Cirrus Survey Warehouse, Namibians were asked what they believed the most important problems were the country is faced with, which the government should address.

Unsurprisingly, unemployment ranks as the top priority Namibians want the government to tackle, with 63% of respondents citing it as one of up to three problems stated.

Unemployment has consistently been reported as the single-largest issue in every Afrobarometer round since 1999, and is most often the very first problem of three options.

At the same time, confidence in the government’s handling of job creation has dropped to an all-time low in the 2024 round, with only 12% of respondents saying the government is doing “fairly well” or “very well”.

This decline comes against the backdrop of the 2023 Labour Force Survey, which reported a broad unemployment rate of 55% – the highest on record, up from 33% in 2018.

Confidence has fallen steadily since 2014, when 36% believed the government was handling job creation well.

Other main issues raised largely concern basic public services, such as education (25%), food supply (23%), health (22%), water supply (18%), and electricity (17%).

In urban areas, respondents are more likely to identify corruption, crime and security as part of their three choices.

By contrast, rural respondents were more likely to cite economic concerns such as wages, incomes and salaries.

In some regions, specific services were highlighted. In the Kunene region, for instance, 35% of respondents identified water supply as their first concern of the three stated.

Nevertheless, unemployment remains the dominant issue across all regions of Namibia, with the highest proportions recorded in the two most urban regions (Khomas and Erongo), as well as the four northern O-regions.

– Tannan Groenewald is Cirrus Capital’s head of data and analytics.

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