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83.7 %
Wheat harvest down 83.7%
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80.4 %
80.4% of the rural population has no access to functioning sanitation facilities
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37 %
37% of the population is unemployed
Namibia: Key facts
- Population: 3.1 Million
- People in need: 1.3 Million
- GDP: US$14.69
- HDI: Ranked 136/193
Worst drought in 100 years
Namibia is drying up, and that has serious consequences for people and nature. The country’s worst drought in 100 years began in 2024 and continued into 2025. Low rainfall and high temperatures meant water became scarce, livestock died, and agricultural yields fell dramatically.
Between October 2024 and March 2025, the wheat harvest was 83.7 percent below the previous year’s level. For the more than two-thirds of the population who work in agriculture, this is a disaster. By March 2025, around 1.3 million people in the country were affected by food insecurity.
Thankfully, the situation improved over the course of the year due in part to increased rainfall and higher crop yields, according to an IPC (Integrated Food Security Phase Classification) report from October 2025.
Water shortage and its consequences
The effects of drought extend far beyond agriculture. In rural areas in particular, only one in five people has access to basic sanitation facilities. Water shortages are leading to an increase in disease, as many people are forced to consume contaminated drinking water. In recent years, more than 10 percent of all deaths among children under the age of five have been attributed to diarrheal diseases, according to Namibia’s Report on Mortality and Causes of Deaths (2018–2021).
Women's leadership and urgent solutions
Namibia did make inspirational headlines in 2025 for being the only country in the world to have female politicians in the three top jobs in government. This pioneering leadership is reflected at the grassroots level too, with many Namibian women leading efforts to improve equality and reduce poverty in their communities (UN OCHA). In view of a changing climate and increasingly frequent extreme weather events, sustainable and rapid solutions are urgently needed to better protect the population and secure their livelihoods in the long term.
Learn more about humanitarian needs and response on WFP’s Namibia page.
Ten forgotten crises
The CARE Crisis Report is published annually and highlights the ten crises that receive the least media attention. In 2025 Namibia ranked as the second least reported crisis in the world.