Short facts about people of Namibia

Population:

1,797,677 note:  estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2001 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years:  42.74% (male 389,028; female 379,229) 15-64 years:  53.54% (male 480,075; female 482,375) 65 years and over:  3.72% (male 29,109; female 37,861) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.38% (2001 est.)

Birth rate:

34.71 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate:

20.9 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate:

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth:  1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years:  1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years:  1 male(s)/female 65 years and over:  0.77 male(s)/female total population:  1 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

71.66 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population:  40.62 years male:  42.48 years female:  38.71 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate:

4.83 children born/woman (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

19.54% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

160,000 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

18,000 (1999 est.)

Nationality:

noun:  Namibian(s) adjective:  Namibian

Ethnic groups:

black 87.5%, white 6%, mixed 6.5% note:  about 50% of the population belong to the Ovambo tribe and 9% to the Kavangos tribe; other ethnic groups are: Herero 7%, Damara 7%, Nama 5%, Caprivian 4%, Bushmen 3%, Baster 2%, Tswana 0.5%

Religions:

Christian 80% to 90% (Lutheran 50% at least), indigenous beliefs 10% to 20%

Languages:

English 7% (official), Afrikaans common language of most of the population and about 60% of the white population, German 32%, indigenous languages: Oshivambo, Herero, Nama

Literacy:

definition:  age 15 and over can read and write total population:  38% male:  45% female:  31% (1960 est.)

Source: World Factbook