Self-Reported Life Satisfaction
When respondents were asked to rate their current life satisfaction on a hypothetical ladder, where the best possible life for them is a 10 and the worst possible life is a 0, the average Namibian score came to 4.91 in 2024.
Namibia’s life satisfaction score has shown gradual improvement in recent years, rising from 4.46 in 2021 to the 4.91 score in 2024 – the highest over the 10-year period.
South Africa continues to report the highest scores in the region, peaking at 5.42 in 2023, before a decline to 5.21 in 2024.
Botswana, on the other hand, shows a rather flat trend, with a low of 3.38 in 2023 to 3.44 in 2024.
However, while this may reflect differing socio-economic conditions, well-being is inherently subjective. Nonetheless, it is encouraging to see Namibia’s score increase in each of the preceding three years.
– Tannan Groenewald is Cirrus Capital’s head of data and analytics.
