Namibia GDP Growth Quickens in Q1

2026-06-25 14:05 By Luisa Carvalho 1 min. read

The economy of Namibia expanded by 2% year-on-year in Q1 2026, following a revised 0.1% rise in the previous period.

Growth was driven by tertiary activities (+5.1%), particularly wholesale and retail trade (+9.3%), financial services (+7.2%), health (+6.4%), education (+4.6%) and public administration (+3.7%).

Primary activities, however, contracted 5.7%, reflecting a sharp 12.2% decline in mining and quarrying due to lower diamond and gold production.

At the same time, the industrial sector fell 3.1%, weighed down by a 12.2% slump in manufacturing, mainly attributed to poor performances in the manufacture of basic metals (-87.9%); diamond cutting and polishing’(-35.7%) and manufacture of other food products (-15.7%).

On the expenditure side, household consumption rose 1.4%, government spending increased 4.5% and fixed investment advanced 3.4%.

Meanwhile, net external demand contributed negatively to GDP growth, as imports rose 4.6% and outpaced a 4.1% increase in exports.



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Namibia GDP Growth Quickens in Q1
The economy of Namibia expanded by 2% year-on-year in Q1 2026, following a revised 0.1% rise in the previous period. Growth was driven by tertiary activities (+5.1%), particularly wholesale and retail trade (+9.3%), financial services (+7.2%), health (+6.4%), education (+4.6%) and public administration (+3.7%). Primary activities, however, contracted 5.7%, reflecting a sharp 12.2% decline in mining and quarrying due to lower diamond and gold production. At the same time, the industrial sector fell 3.1%, weighed down by a 12.2% slump in manufacturing, mainly attributed to poor performances in the manufacture of basic metals (-87.9%); diamond cutting and polishing’(-35.7%) and manufacture of other food products (-15.7%). On the expenditure side, household consumption rose 1.4%, government spending increased 4.5% and fixed investment advanced 3.4%. Meanwhile, net external demand contributed negatively to GDP growth, as imports rose 4.6% and outpaced a 4.1% increase in exports.
2026-06-25
Namibia Economy Contracts in Q4
The economy of Namibia shrank by 0.5% year-on-year in Q4 2025, marking the first contraction since Q1 2021, following an upwardly revised 2.6% growth in the previous period. Mining & quarrying (-28.8% vs -5.5% in Q3) was the main dragger, followed by manufacturing (-5.1% vs 2.6%) and financial service activities (-1% vs 2.3%). On the other hand, notable growth was recorded in construction (23.4% vs 12.2%); utilities (12.5% vs 20.3%); wholesale & retail trade (9.5% vs 7.7%); information & communication (8.4% vs 13.3%); health (6% vs 3.9%) and hotels & restaurants (5.3% vs -0.8%). On a quarterly basis, the GDP rose by 6.4%, after a revised 2.1% decline in the previous quarter. The Namibian economic growth slowed to 1.7% in 2025 from an upwardly revised 3.8% in the year before, mainly attributed to weak performance in both primary and secondary sectors.
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Namibia GDP Growth Quickens in Q3
The economy of Namibia advanced by 1.9% year-on-year in Q3 2025, accelerating from a 1.3% expansion in the previous three-month period. Tertiary activities (+4.1%) were the main driver of growth, led by financial services activities (8.4%); wholesale and retail trade (5.5%), education (4.9%), and health (4.7%). At the same time, the industrial sector rose 1.2%, as strong growth in utilities (+12.5%) was offset by declines in construction (-5%) and manufacturing (-1%). Conversely, primary activities witnessed a decrease of 6.9%, amid poor performance in agriculture and forestry (-22.7%) and mining and quarrying (-4.2%). A significant decrease in marketed animals, due to farmer restocking, was observed, along with a decline in diamond and metal ores except uranium ore.
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