Namibia: Primary education, teachers

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Namibia's primary education, teachers rose 8.8% on 2023 (from 19,527 to 21,240).

Across the 24 yearly changes before that (1996 to 2023), the average change was +1.3% and a typical year strayed about 3.5% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.1 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 8.8% in 2024 and the biggest yearly fall was 8.1% in 1999. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is upward, about 397.03 a year. A straight line explains 93% of the movement over 10 observed years.

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

How it compares

In 2024, Namibia had the 66th highest value of the 108 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 2024 ranking

• Bulgaria — 63rd of 108: 22,710
• Belarus — 64th of 108: 22,228
• El Salvador — 65th of 108: 22,132
• Slovak Republic — 67th of 108: 18,530
• Serbia — 68th of 108: 16,557
• Puerto Rico (US) — 69th of 108: 15,316

What this measures

Primary education, teachers refers to the total number of teachers at primary level, including full-time and part-time teachers.

Limitations: The precision of this indicator can be influenced by the enumeration method used, such as headcount or 'full-time equivalent' count of teachers.

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

All 29 values

Primary education, teachers in nearby economies

• Angola — 96,016 (2023)
• Benin — 59,742 (2022)
• Botswana — 16,622 (2022)
• Burkina Faso — 91,764 (2024)
• Burundi — 43,226 (2025)
• Cabo Verde — 3,031 (2022)
• Cameroon — 121,453 (2024)
• Central African Republic — 9,756 (2016)
• Chad — 54,801 (2024)
• Comoros — 3,952 (2024)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 561,172 (2023)
• Congo, Rep.

More education data for Namibia

• Primary school starting age (years) — 7 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 7 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 14 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 5 (2025)
• Over-age students, primary, female (% of female enrollment) — 13% (2018)
• Over-age students, primary, male (% of male enrollment) — 18.31% (2018)
• Over-age students, primary (% of enrollment) — 15.7% (2018)
• Primary education, pupils — 590,029 (2024)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 120.72% (2024)
• Secondary education, pupils

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Namibia's primary education, teachers?

21,240 in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1992?

It is up 94.65% from 10,912 in 1992 (2.1% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 21,240 in 2024 and the lowest 10,213 in 2012.

How does Namibia rank?

66th highest of 108 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in primary education, teachers unusual for Namibia?

In 2024, Namibia's primary education, teachers rose 8.8% on 2023 (from 19,527 to 21,240). Across the 24 yearly changes before that (1996 to 2023), the average change was +1.3% and a typical year strayed about 3.5% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.1 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.PRM.TCHR, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://databrowser.uis.unesco.org/resources, note: The data are obtained through the UIS API. 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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