Food insecurity on the rise in Namibia, recent Afrobarometer study shows

A recent Afrobarometer survey indicates that almost three-quarters of Namibians went without enough food to eat at least once during the previous year. More than six in 10 citizens also experienced shortages of cooking fuel at least once during the same period. The proportion of citizens facing frequent food shortages has steadily increased to the highest levels recorded since 2017. Food shortage ranks among the top three most urgent issues Namibians want their government to address.

Overall, nearly two-thirds of Namibians repeatedly experienced deprivation of basic life necessities during the previous year, placing them in the category of moderate or high lived poverty.

Key findings:

• Nearly three-quarters (73%) of Namibians reported going without enough food to eat at least once during the past year, with 19% saying this happened “many times” or “always” (Figure 1). This marks a significant increase of 26 percentage points compared to 2017 (47%).
• More than six in 10 citizens (62%) reported going without enough cooking fuel at least once, including 16% who said this happened “many times” or “always” (Figure 2).
• Food shortage/famine ranks third among the most important problems Namibians want their government to address, cited by 23% of respondents as one of their top three priorities (Figure 3).
• Nearly two-thirds of citizens experienced “moderate lived poverty” (39%) or “high lived poverty” (25%) during the previous year, indicating frequent deprivation of basic life necessities. This represents an 8-percentage-point increase compared to 2021, rising from 56% to 64% (Figure 4).

About Afrobarometer:

Afrobarometer is a pan-African, non-partisan survey research network that provides reliable data on African experiences and evaluations of democracy, governance, and quality of life. Conducted in up to 42 countries, including Namibia, Afrobarometer surveys involve face-to-face interviews in the respondent’s preferred language. In March 2024, Survey Warehouse conducted interviews with a nationally representative sample of 1,200 adult Namibians for this survey round, yielding country-level results with a margin of error of +/-3 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.