Poverty in Namibia

Poverty in Namibia is common with an unemployment rate of 29.9%, poverty incidence of 26.9% and HIV prevalence of 16.9%. Namibia has an economic growth rates averaging 4.3% according to the World Bank, and is one of nine nations in Africa classified by the World Bank as upper center pay.[http://www.na.undp.org/content/namibia/en/home/library/poverty/nimdpovmao2015.html Summary of Poverty and Deprivation in Namibia 2015] United Nations Development Programme. Accessed 14 March 2019 However, income disparity in the country is one of the world's highest with a Gini coefficient of 59.1 in 2015{{cite web |url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SI.POV.GINI?locations=NA |title=GINI index (World Bank estimate) |publisher=World Bank |website=data.worldbank.org |access-date=20 January 2019}} (2017: 61.3), and there were 3,300 US$ millionaires in 2017.{{cite news | title=Namibians 3rd wealthiest people in Africa | last=Nakashole | first=Ndama | date=24 April 2017 | newspaper=The Namibian | page=13 | url=http://www.namibian.com.na/53749/read/Namibians-3rd-wealthiest-people-in-Africa | archive-date=18 June 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170618005115/http://www.namibian.com.na/53749/read/Namibians-3rd-wealthiest-people-in-Africa | url-status=live}}

In a 2021 report by the governmental Namibia Statistics Agency, multidimensional poverty was determined to affect 43% of the population, 59% in rural and 25% in urban areas. The poorest regions per this measure were Kavango West (80%), Kavango East (70%) and Kunene Region (64%), while the lowest rates of poverty were found in Erongo (16%) and ǁKaras (21%).{{cite news | title=43% of Namibians are still poor | last=Iikela | first=Sakeus | newspaper=The Namibian | date=11 June 2021 | page=1 | url=https://www.namibian.com.na/102445/read/43pct-of-Namibians-are-still-poor}}

More than 400,000 people live in informal housing, with Windhoek (100,000 shack dwellers), Rundu (76,000) and Otjiwarongo (53,000) accommodating the largest number.{{cite news | title=Namibia's ghetto life: Half million live in shacks countrywide | last=Nghinomenwa | first=Erastus | newspaper=The Namibian | date=12 August 2020 | page=1 | url=https://www.namibian.com.na/93627/read/Namibias-ghetto-life-Half-million-live-in-shacks-countrywide}}