Namibia's prevalence of anemia among children (% of children ages 6-59 months) was 46.1% in 2019, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is up 0.3 percentage points from 45.8% in 2009.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 46.1% | 2019 |
| Five years earlier | 46.7% | 2014 |
| Ten years earlier | 45.8% | 2009 |
| Highest | 48.7% | 2004 |
| Lowest | 45.6% | 2010 |
| Average since 2010 | 46.49% | 2010–2019 |
| First recorded | 47.7% | 2000 |
What the numbers say
In 2019, Namibia's prevalence of anemia among children (% of children ages 6-59 months) did not change 0 percentage points on 2018 (from 46.1% to 46.1%).
Across the 18 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2018), the average change was −0.09 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.49 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations above 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 1 percentage points in 2012 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.8 percentage points in 2008. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2010 to 2019 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains less than 1% 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 2019, Namibia had the 49th highest value of the 190 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.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Namibia | 46.1% | 2019 |
| World | 40.52% | 2019 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | 60.53% | 2019 |
| Lower middle income | 52.9% | 2019 |
Closest to Namibia in the 2019 ranking
- Eritrea — 46th of 190: 48.8%
- Papua New Guinea — 47th of 190: 46.7%
- Timor-Leste — 48th of 190: 46.3%
- Afghanistan — 50th of 190: 44.9%
- Bhutan — 51st of 190: 44.7%
- Nepal — 52nd of 190: 44.6%
What this measures
Prevalence of anemia, children ages 6-59 months, is the percentage of children ages 6-59 months whose hemoglobin level is less than 110 grams per liter, adjusted for altitude.
Limitations: Data for blood haemoglobin concentrations are still limited, compared to other nutritional indicators such as child anthropometry. As a result, the estimates may not capture the full variation across countries and regions.
Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.
All 20 values
| Year | Prevalence of anemia among children (% of children ages 6-59 months) |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 46.1 |
| 2018 | 46.1 |
| 2017 | 46.3 |
| 2016 | 46.7 |
| 2015 | 47 |
| 2014 | 46.7 |
| 2013 | 47 |
| 2012 | 47.2 |
| 2011 | 46.2 |
| 2010 | 45.6 |
| 2009 |
Prevalence of anemia among children (% of children ages 6-59 months) in nearby economies
- Angola — 62.4% (2019)
- Benin — 71% (2019)
- Botswana — 43.3% (2019)
- Burkina Faso — 76.6% (2019)
- Burundi — 58% (2019)
- Cabo Verde — 44.1% (2019)
- Cameroon — 59.2% (2019)
- Central African Republic — 73.6% (2019)
- Chad
More health data for Namibia
- Population ages 00-04, female (% of female population) — 12.58% (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male (% of male population) — 13.23% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female — 568,676 (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female (% of female population) — 35.94% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male — 564,861 (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male (% of male population) — 37.4% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, total — 1.13 million (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 (% of total population) — 36.65% (2025)
- Population ages 05-09, female (% of female population) — 12.45% (2025)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Namibia's prevalence of anemia among children (% of children ages 6-59 months)?
- 46.1% in 2019, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 2000?
- It is down 1.6 percentage points from 47.7% in 2000. The highest value was 48.7% in 2004 and the lowest 45.6% in 2010.
- How does Namibia rank?
- 49th highest of 190 economies with data for 2019.
- Is the latest change in prevalence of anemia among children (% of children ages 6-59 months) unusual for Namibia?
- In 2019, Namibia's prevalence of anemia among children (% of children ages 6-59 months) did not change 0 percentage points on 2018 (from 46.1% to 46.1%). Across the 18 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2018), the average change was −0.09 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.49 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations above 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 SH.ANM.CHLD.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Global Health Observatory Data Repository/World Health Statistics, World Health Organization (WHO) 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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