Namibia: Subsidies and other transfers (% of expense)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Namibia's subsidies and other transfers (% of expense) rose 1.58 percentage points on 2022 (from 31.51% to 33.09%).

Across the 22 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2022), the average change was +0.54 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.89 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 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 5.69 percentage points in 2008 and the biggest yearly fall was 5.77 percentage points in 2016. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2014 to 2023 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 13% 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 2023, Namibia had the 59th highest value of the 79 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 2023 ranking

• Guatemala — 55th of 79: 34.67%
• Fiji — 56th of 79: 34.12%
• Madagascar — 57th of 79: 33.89%
• Macao SAR, China — 59th of 79: 32.58%
• Togo — 60th of 79: 32.39%
• Paraguay — 61st of 79: 30.06%

What this measures

Subsidies are current unrequited payments that government units, including nonresident government units, make to enterprises on the basis of the levels of their production activities or the quantities or values of the goods or services that they produce, sell, export or import. This indicator is expressed as percentage of total expenses which is any decrease in net worth resulting from a transaction.

Limitations: For most countries central government finance data have been consolidated into one account, but for others only budgetary central government accounts are available. Countries reporting budgetary data are noted in the country metadata. Because budgetary accounts may not include all central government units (such as social security funds), they usually provide an incomplete picture. In federal states the central government accounts provide an incomplete view of total public finance. Data on government revenue and expense are collected by the IMF through questionnaires to member countries and by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

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

All 24 values

Subsidies and other transfers (% of expense) in nearby economies

• Angola — 19.62% (2019)
• Botswana — 16.9% (2023)
• Burkina Faso — 35.07% (2023)
• Burundi — 26.31% (2021)
• Cabo Verde — 28.21% (2020)
• Cameroon — 23.49% (2021)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 10.72% (2022)
• Congo, Rep. — 32.92% (2021)
• Côte d'Ivoire — 43.56% (2023)
• Equatorial Guinea

More public sector data for Namibia

• Military expenditure (current USD) — 410.52 million (2025)
• Military expenditure (current LCU) — 7.34 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 2.77% (2025)
• Grants and other revenue (current LCU) — 3.68 billion (2024)
• Grants and other revenue (% of revenue) — 4.14% (2024)
• Revenue, excluding grants (current LCU) — 88.9 billion (2024)
• Revenue, excluding grants (% of GDP) — 35.56% (2024)
• Taxes on international trade (current LCU) — 29.08 billion (2024)
• Taxes on international trade (% of revenue) — 32.72% (2024)
• Tax revenue (current LCU)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Namibia's subsidies and other transfers (% of expense)?

33.09% in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2000?

It is up 13.45 percentage points from 19.63% in 2000. The highest value was 36.28% in 2011 and the lowest 19.62% in 2001.

How does Namibia rank?

59th highest of 79 economies with data for 2023.

Is the latest change in subsidies and other transfers (% of expense) unusual for Namibia?

In 2023, Namibia's subsidies and other transfers (% of expense) rose 1.58 percentage points on 2022 (from 31.51% to 33.09%). Across the 22 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2022), the average change was +0.54 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.89 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 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 GC.XPN.TRFT.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF) 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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