Land use in Namibia
Namibia: Land use was 812,000 hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
812,000 hectares
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
118th
of 224 countries
All-time high
820,000 hectares
in 1995
All-time low
642,000 hectares
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Land use in Namibia, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
The most recent figure for land use in Namibia is 812,000 hectares, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 0.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land use in Namibia peaked at 820,000 hectares in 1995 and was at its lowest, 642,000 hectares, in 1961.
Namibia ranks 118th of 224 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Land use in Namibia, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 642,000 hectares | — |
| 1962 | 642,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 642,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 646,000 hectares | +0.6% |
| 1965 | 646,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 646,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 649,000 hectares | +0.5% |
| 1968 | 649,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 649,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 651,000 hectares | +0.3% |
| 1971 | 653,000 hectares | +0.3% |
| 1972 | 653,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 653,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 653,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 653,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 655,000 hectares | +0.3% |
| 1977 | 655,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 656,000 hectares | +0.2% |
| 1979 | 656,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 657,000 hectares | +0.2% |
| 1981 | 657,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 657,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 662,000 hectares | +0.8% |
| 1984 | 662,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 662,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 662,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 662,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 662,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 662,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 662,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 662,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 662,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 700,000 hectares | +5.7% |
| 1994 | 750,000 hectares | +7.1% |
| 1995 | 820,000 hectares | +9.3% |
| 1996 | 820,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 820,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 820,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 820,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 820,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 820,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 820,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 820,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 820,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 820,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 820,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 808,000 hectares | -1.5% |
| 2008 | 808,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 808,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 809,000 hectares | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 809,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 809,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 809,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 809,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 810,000 hectares | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 810,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 811,000 hectares | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 811,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 811,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 811,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 812,000 hectares | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 812,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 812,000 hectares | +0.0% |
Namibia compared with similar countries
- Namibia's 812,000 hectares is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 2.82 million hectares, 29% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Namibia's 812,000 hectares is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3.21 million hectares, 25% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 645,667 hectares | 642,000 hectares | 649,000 hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 653,800 hectares | 651,000 hectares | 656,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 660,500 hectares | 657,000 hectares | 662,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 753,600 hectares | 662,000 hectares | 820,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 816,400 hectares | 808,000 hectares | 820,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 809,800 hectares | 809,000 hectares | 811,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 811,750 hectares | 811,000 hectares | 812,000 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Namibia
More environment data for Namibia
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -2.99 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -1.14 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.319 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 0.979 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.32 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate 4.07 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land use in Namibia?
- Land use in Namibia was 812,000 hectares in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest land use recorded in Namibia?
- The highest recorded value was 820,000 hectares in 1995.
- What is the lowest land use recorded in Namibia?
- The lowest recorded value was 642,000 hectares in 1961.
- How does Namibia rank for land use?
- Namibia ranks 118th out of 224 countries with data for 2023.
- Is land use rising or falling in Namibia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Namibia data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Land use. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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