Namibia: Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) (national estimate)

Key figures

How it compares

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

Closest to Namibia in the 2023 ranking

• Tunisia — 2nd of 7: 12.82%
• Armenia — 3rd of 7: 7.22%
• Grenada — 4th of 7: 4.09%

What this measures

Unemployment refers to the share of the labor force that is without work but available for and seeking employment. Definitions of labor force and unemployment differ by country.

Limitations: While the unemployment rate may be considered the most informative labour market indicator, reflecting the general performance of the labour market and the economy as a whole, it should not be interpreted as a measure of economic hardship or of well-being. When based on the internationally-recommended standards, the unemployment rate simply reflects the proportion of the labour force that does not have a job but is available and actively looking for work. It says nothing about the economic resources of unemployed workers or their family members. Its use should, therefore, be limited to serving as a measurement of the utilization of labour and an indication of the failure to find work.

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

All 14 values

Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) (national estimate) in nearby economies

• Angola — 10.17% (2025)
• Botswana — 22.49% (2024)
• Burkina Faso — 6.09% (2025)
• Ghana — 3.22% (2025)
• Malawi — 12.92% (2024)
• Mali — 3.01% (2024)
• Mauritius — 4.08% (2024)
• Nigeria — 2.65% (2024)
• Rwanda — 5.02% (2025)

More social protection & labor data for Namibia

• Net migration — 1,866 (2025)
• Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of origin — 685 (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 26.08% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 32.6% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 29.34% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate) — 56.39% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate) — 63.88% (2025)

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Questions people ask

What is Namibia's unemployment, male (% of male labor force) (national estimate)?

33.05% in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1991?

It is up 13.48 percentage points from 19.57% in 1991. The highest value was 33.05% in 2023 and the lowest 14.66% in 2012.

Where does this data come from?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), uri: https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/bulk/, publisher: ILOSTAT, type: external database, date accessed: September 28, 2026.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SL.UEM.TOTL.MA.NE.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), uri: https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/bulk/, publisher: ILOSTAT, type: external database, date accessed: September 28, 2026 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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