More men than women are unmarried in the country, according to the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA).
The agency released the statistics of the 2023 census report on Wednesday.
The report indicates that 69.7% of the population aged 15 years and above have never said “I do”, while just 15.8% of the population is married.
Although the difference is small, more women are married than men. For men, 72% have never married, while for women the figure stands at 67%.
The high number of Namibians having never married may come as a surprise to some, but others have a different view.
“I expected the statistics to be more than that. Everywhere you turn, you see children but no marriages,” pastor Haruna Goroh told The Namibian.
The narrative about what marriage is has been lost, according to relationship expert Ngamane Karuaihe-Upi.
“We don’t have a clear idea of what it means to be married,” he said.
“We lost the value of marriage.”
He also expressed concern about marriage having become commercialised.
“Many people feel like you need hundreds or thousands of dollars to get married. No, you can get married for pennies at the magistrate’s court,” he added.
This sentiment was echoed by Goroh.
“Some people don’t want to get married because they feel like it just costs too much money. Tradition, community and family are putting expectations on them,” Goroh said.
But for Goroh, the biggest problem lies elsewhere.
“We don’t have a national awareness and consciousness from the government’s side to promote the advantages of marriage,” he said.
He also blamed the ease of getting a divorce: “Many marriages end in divorce, so the upcoming generation is not encouraged to get married.”
According to the census data, just one percent of Namibians have gone through a divorce. But Goroh said it matters who gets divorced.
Both Goroh and Karuaihe-Upi agree that young people don’t want the commitment that comes with getting married.
“There are lots of young guys getting the benefits of marriage without getting married. They are playing house,” Karuaihe-Upi said.
“Why should I get married if I have a girlfriend that is acting like a wife?”
“People don’t hesitate to have a child out of wedlock. People don’t want to bear the responsibility that comes with marriages,” said Goroh.
Asked about the difference between men and women, Karuaihe-Upi pointed to societal pressures.
“Marriage validates women more than it validates men. A wedding is more about the bride than the groom. A woman is affirmed by marriage. Because in our culture, if you are not a married woman, you are of less value,” he said.
The census data showed that at least 5.5% of Namibians were wedded traditionally, while 4.1% were in a consensual union.
The statistics further show that on average Namibians say “I do” at the age of 30.5 years old.
“Males record a higher mean age at 33.4 and females at 28.3. The same trend was observed for urban and rural areas,” notes the NSA.
At regional level, Omusati recorded the highest mean age of 37.5 (males) and 30.7 (females).
Zambezi is the region where people get married the youngest, with an average age of 26.8. For men, the average is 29.8 years, while women on average marry at 24.4.
