Namibia: Forest rents (% of GDP)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2021, Namibia's forest rents (% of GDP) fell 0.03 percentage points on 2020 (from 0.89% to 0.86%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2020), the average change was +0.01 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.13 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 0.27 percentage points in 2020 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.29 percentage points in 2018. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2012 to 2021 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 12% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2021, Namibia had the 57th highest value of the 197 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Namibia in the 2021 ranking

• Belarus — 54th of 197: 1.01%
• Tajikistan — 55th of 197: 1.01%
• New Zealand — 56th of 197: 0.97%
• Honduras — 58th of 197: 0.84%
• Cambodia — 59th of 197: 0.79%
• Brazil — 60th of 197: 0.76%

What this measures

Forest rents are roundwood harvest times the product of regional prices and a regional rental rate.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 42 values

Forest rents (% of GDP) in nearby economies

• Angola — 0.68% (2021)
• Benin — 2.3% (2021)
• Botswana — 0.3% (2021)
• Burkina Faso — 4.68% (2021)
• Burundi — 13.96% (2021)
• Cabo Verde — 0.48% (2021)
• Cameroon — 2.58% (2021)
• Central African Republic — 9.49% (2021)
• Chad — 4.58% (2021)
• Comoros — 1.63% (2021)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 9.36% (2021)
• Congo, Rep.

More environment data for Namibia

• Population in largest city — 511,369 (2025)
• Population in the largest city (% of urban population) — 32.5% (2025)
• Rural population — 1.52 million (2025)
• Rural population (% of total population) — 49.13% (2025)
• Urban population — 1.57 million (2025)
• Urban population (% of total population) — 50.87% (2025)
• Aquaculture production (metric tons) — 340 (2024)
• Capture fisheries production (metric tons) — 381,230 (2024)
• Total fisheries production (metric tons) — 381,570 (2024)
• Rural population growth (annual %) — 1.12% (2025)

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Questions people ask

What is Namibia's forest rents (% of GDP)?

0.86% in 2021, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1980?

It is up 0.47 percentage points from 0.39% in 1980. The highest value was 0.97% in 2016 and the lowest 0.3% in 1999.

How does Namibia rank?

57th highest of 197 economies with data for 2021.

Is the latest change in forest rents (% of GDP) unusual for Namibia?

In 2021, Namibia's forest rents (% of GDP) fell 0.03 percentage points on 2020 (from 0.89% to 0.86%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2020), the average change was +0.01 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.13 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator NY.GDP.FRST.RT.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank (WB), uri: https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/changing-wealth-of-nations/data, note: World Bank staff estimates based on sources and methods described in the World Bank's The Changing Wealth of Nations., publisher: World Bank (WB); Staff estimates, Wo… Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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