1
Table of Contents
Foreword ............................................................................................................... 2
Regions of Namibia ............................................................................................... 3
Largest Urban Locality by region .......................................................................... 3
Summary Census Indicators .................................................................................. 4
1 General Overview ............................................................................................. 4
2 Population Structure and Composition ............................................................. 23
3 Disability .......................................................................................................... 28
4 Early Childhood Development ......................................................................... 30
5 Education and Literacy ..................................................................................... 32
6 Labour Force .................................................................................................... 36
7 Household Composition and Characteristics .................................................... 44
8 Housing Conditions .......................................................................................... 50
9 Water Supply and Sanitation ............................................................................ 57
10 Fertility ............................................................................................................. 62
11 Mortality and Orphanhood ............................................................................... 68
12 Migration .......................................................................................................... 76
Appendix 1: Census Definitions of Concepts and Classifications ........................ 81
Appendix 2: Main Questionnaire ......................................................................... 91
Appendix 3: Detailed tables ................................................................................. 93
2
Foreword
This report covers the detailed results of 2001 Namibia Population and Housing Census for
the whole country. The first report for the Census was the Preliminary Report, which was
released in March 2002. The results, which were presented in that report, were provisional in
nature. They were based on manual tabulations, and provided population totals categorized
by females and males.
The current report provides national and regional detailed basic highlights from the Census.
These highlights were derived from detailed tabulations and analysis, which were undertaken
after the completion of data processing of the Census information collected in the
questionnaires. There is therefore a likelihood that some of the figures presented in this report
may differ slightly from those in the Preliminary Report due to some errors in the manual
compilation.
There is a need to note that the Census collected information at both personal and household
levels relating to basic characteristics of the population. Basic indicators in the form of
percentages and rates are presented for both levels. The indicators are presented at national,
urban and rural, as well as at regional levels.
The information relates to all persons who were in the country during the Census Reference
Night of 27 to 28 August, 2001. All persons who usually resided in Namibia, but were not
present during the Census Reference Night, are therefore not included in the analysis.
It is not possible to mention all the various national and international bodies and individuals
who have contributed in the undertaking of the Census exercise. However, we are grateful to
the technical, financial and material support provided by the United Nations Population Fund
(UNFPA), the Governments of Sweden, United Kingdom, Spain, France and the United
States of America.
Our sincere appreciation goes to the Grade 11 learners and the Primary School teachers who
worked respectively as interviewers and supervisors during the main Census enumeration. We
would also like to acknowledge the support provided by the regional and local leadership
towards the whole Census exercise. The contribution of the rest of the Census staff to the
whole operation is appreciated. Last, but not least, we would like to acknowledge the support
and cooperation of the general public, especially during the enumeration period.
It is our sincere hope that the Census results, and in particular this report, will be put to good
use by both planners and policy makers for objective formulation and implementation of
programmes and policies for the development of our nation.
Immanuel Ngatjizeko, M. P.
Director General
National Planning Commission Windhoek, July 2003
3
Regions of Namibia
Kunene
Erongo
Otjozondjupa
Omaheke
Hardap
Khomas
Karas
Caprivi
Kavango
Ohangwena
Omusati
Oshana
Oshikoto
Largest Urban Locality by Region
Total population:
Namibia 1 830 330
Caprivi 79 826
Erongo 107 663
Hardap 68 249
Karas 69 329
Kavango 202 694
Khomas 250 262
Kunene 68 735
Ohangwena 228 384
Omaheke 68 039
Omusati 228 842
Oshana 161 916
Oshikoto 161 007
Otjozondjupa 135 384
Population:
Windhoek 233 529
Rundu 44 413
Walvis Bay 42 015
Oshakati 28 255
Katima Mulilo 22 694
Rehoboth 21 300
Otjiwarongo 19 614
Keetmanshoop 15 543
Gobabis 13 856
Tsumeb 13 108
Outjo 6 013
Eenhana 3 196
Outapi 2 640
Windhoek
Eenhana
Gobabis
Katima Mulilo
Keetmanshoop
Oshakati
Otjiwarongo
Outjo
Rehoboth
Rundu
Tsumeb
Outapi
Walvis Bay
Census Indicators
4
Namibia Census Indicators, 2001 and 1991
Population Size 2001 1991
Total 1 830 330 1 409 920
Females 942 572 723 593
Males 887 721 686 327
Growth Rate 2.6 3.1
In Urban/Rural, percent
Urban areas 33 28
Rural areas 67 72
Sex ratio: Males per 100 females 94 95
Area: In square kilometres 824 116 823 144
Population density
Persons per sq. km. 2.1 1.7
Age composition, percent
Under 5 years 13 16
5 14 years 26 26
15 59 years 52 51
60+ years 7 7
Marital status: 15+ years, percent
Never married 56 50
Married with certificate 19 ..
Married traditionally 9 ..
Married consensually 7 12
Divorced/Separated 3 3
Widowed 4 4
Citizenship, percent
Namibian 97 96
Non-Namibian 3 4
Main language spoken at home,
Percent of households
Oshiwambo 48 51
Nama/Damara 11 13
Afrikaans 11 9
Kavango 10 10
Otjiherero 8 8
Private households
Number 346 455 254 389
Average size 5.1 5.2
Head of Household, percent
Females 45 39
Males 55 61
Literacy rate, 15+ years, percent 81 76
Education, 15+ years, percent
Never attended 15 26
Currently at school 34 19
Left school 45 55
2001 1991
Children 6-15 years attending school, percent
Boys 80 81
Girls 84 85
Labour force, 15+ years, percent
In labour force 54 58
Employed 69 81
Unemployed 31 19
Outside labour force 39 42
Student 35 45
Homemaker 43 33
Retired, too old, etc. 22 22
Housing Conditions, percent
Households with
Safe water 87 65
No toilet facility 54 61
Electricity for lighting 32 24
Access to radio 80 59
Wood/Charcoal for cooking 62 74
Main Source of income, percent
Household main income
Farming 28 ..
Wages & Salaries 41 ..
Cash remittance 6 ..
Business, non-farming 9 ..
Pension 11 ..
Fertility
Average number of children
per woman 4.1 6.1
Mortality
Infant deaths per 1000 live births
Females 49 ..
Males 55 ..
Life expectancy at birth, years
Females 50 63
Males 48 59
Orphanhood, children under 15 years, percent
Orphaned by
Mother 4 ..
Father 9 ..
Both parents 1 ..
Disability, percent
With disability 5 3
Of whom
Deaf 21 12
Blind 35 30
Speech 11 7
Hands 13 ..
Legs 24 ..
Mental 5 16
Census Indicators
5
Caprivi Region Census Indicators, 2001
Population Size
Total 79 826
Females 40 749
Males 39 077
Growth Rate 1.8
In Urban/Rural, percent
Urban areas 28
Rural areas 72
Sex ratio: Males per 100 females 96
Area: In square kilometres 14 528
Population density:
Persons per sq. km 5.5
Age composition, percent
Under 5 years 13
5 14 years 25
15 59 years 55
60+ years 6
Marital status: 15 years and above, percent
Never married 46
Married with certificate 5
Married traditionally 34
Married consensually 2
Divorced/Separated 6
Widowed 5
Main language spoken at home
Percent of households
Caprivi languages 88
Private households
Number 16 839
Average size 4.7
Head of Household, percent
Females 49
Males 51
Literacy rate, 15+ years, percent 78
Education, 15+ years, percent
Never attended 19
Currently at school 16
Left school 62
Children 6-15 years attending school, percent
Girls 81
Boys 81
Labour force, 15+ years, percent
In labour force 60
Employed 83
Unemployed 17
Outside labour force 36
Student 31
Homemaker 50
Retired, too old, etc. 18
Housing Conditions, percent
Households with
Safe water 86
No toilet facility 83
Electricity for lighting 21
Access to radio 85
Wood/Charcoal for cooking 89
Main Source of income, percent
Household main income
Farming 28
Wages & Salaries 30
Cash remittance 8
Business, non-farming 23
Pension 9
Fertility
Average number of children per woman 3.8
Mortality
Infant deaths per 1000 live births
Females 56
Males 63
Life expectancy at birth, years
Females 43
Males 41
Orphanhood, children under 15 years, percent
Orphaned by
Mother 4
Father 9
Both parents 1
Disability, percent
With disability 4
Of whom
Deaf 24
Blind 35
Speech 10
Hands 13
Legs 26
Mental 10
Census Indicators
6
Erongo Region Census Indicators, 2001
Population Size
Total 107 663
Females 50 040
Males 57 616
Growth Rate 1.3
In Urban/Rural, percent
Urban areas 80
Rural areas 20
Sex ratio: Males per 100 females 115
Area: In square kilometres 63 579
Population density:
Persons per sq. km 1.7
Age composition, percent
Under 5 years 11
5 14 years 18
15 59 years 64
60+ years 6
Marital status: 15 years and above, percent
Never married 57
Married with certificate 24
Married traditionally 2
Married consensually 10
Divorced/Separated 2
Widowed 3
Main language spoken at home
Percent of households
Oshiwambo 37
Afrikaans 22
Nama/Damara 21
Private households
Number 27 496
Average size 3.8
Head of Household, percent
Females 35
Males 65
Literacy rate, 15+ years, percent 92
Education, 15+ years, percent
Never attended 8
Currently at school 9
Left school 79
Children 6-15 years attending school, percent
Girls 89
Boys 86
Labour force, 15+ years, percent
In labour force 71
Employed 66
Unemployed 34
Outside labour force 24
Student 35
Homemaker 34
Retired, too old, etc. 31
Housing Conditions, percent
Households with
Safe water 96
No toilet facility 12
Electricity for lighting 73
Access to radio 89
Wood/Charcoal for cooking 20
Main Source of income, percent
Household main income
Farming 4
Wages & Salaries 67
Cash remittance 8
Business, non-farming 8
Pension 10
Fertility
Average number of children per woman 3.2
Mortality
Infant deaths per 1000 live births
Females 43
Males 40
Life expectancy at birth, years
Females 59
Males 54
Orphanhood, children under 15 years, percent
Orphaned by
Mother 3
Father 5
Both parents 1
Disability, percent
With disability 4
Of whom
Deaf 21
Blind 41
Speech 10
Hands 10
Legs 22
Mental 4
Census Indicators
7
Hardap Region Census Indicators, 2001
Population Size
Total 68 249
Females 33 665
Males 34 579
Growth Rate 0.3
In Urban/Rural, percent
Urban areas 46
Rural areas 54
Sex ratio: Males per 100 females 103
Area: In square kilometres 109 651
Population density
Persons per sq. km 0.6
Age composition, percent
Under 5 years 13
5 14 years 23
15 59 years 55
60+ years 7
Marital status: 15 years and above, percent
Never married 54
Married with certificate 30
Married traditionally 1
Married consensually 9
Divorced/Separated 2
Widowed 4
Main language spoken at home
Percent of households
Afrikaans 44
Nama/Damara 44
Private households
Number 15 039
Average size 4.4
Head of Household, percent
Females 34
Males 66
Literacy rate, 15+ years, percent 83
Education, 15+ years, percent
Never attended 13
Currently at school 9
Left school 73
Children 6-15 years attending school, percent
Girls 84
Boys 83
Labour force, 15+ years, percent
In labour force 64
Employed 66
Unemployed 34
Outside labour force 29
Student 29
Homemaker 37
Retired, too old, etc. 33
Housing Conditions, percent
Households with
Safe water 95
No toilet facility 34
Electricity for lighting 51
Access to radio 77
Wood/Charcoal for cooking 53
Main Source of income, percent
Household main income
Farming 9
Wages & Salaries 61
Cash remittance 7
Business, non-farming 5
Pension 15
Fertility
Average number of children per woman 3.7
Mortality
Infant deaths per 1000 live births
Females 62
Males 64
Life expectancy at birth, years
Females 53
Males 51
Orphanhood, children under 15 years, percent
Orphaned by
Mother 4
Father 6
Both parents 1
Disability, percent
With disability 6
Of whom
Deaf 19
Blind 47
Speech 7
Hands 10
Legs 28
Mental 6
Census Indicators
8
Karas Region Census Indicators, 2001
Population Size
Total 69 329
Females 32 346
Males 36 976
Growth Rate 1.3
In Urban/Rural, percent
Urban areas 54
Rural areas 46
Sex ratio: Males per 100 females 114
Area: In square kilometres 161 215
Population density
Persons per sq. km 0.4
Age composition, percent
Under 5 years 11
5 14 years 20
15 59 years 63
60+ years 6
Marital status: 15 years and above, percent
Never married 55
Married with certificate 29
Married traditionally 3
Married consensually 8
Divorced/Separated 1
Widowed 3
Main language spoken at home
Percent of households
Afrikaans 40
Nama/Damara 26
Oshiwambo 23
Private households
Number 15 481
Average size 4.1
Head of Household, percent
Females 35
Males 65
Literacy rate, 15+ years, percent 92
Education, 15+ years, percent
Never attended 8
Currently at school 23
Left school 66
Children 6-15 years attending school, percent
Girls 87
Boys 85
Labour force, 15+ years, percent
In labour force 74
Employed 72
Unemployed 28
Outside labour force 24
Student 28
Homemaker 40
Retired, too old, etc. 32
Housing Conditions, percent
Households with
Safe water 94
No toilet facility 26
Electricity for lighting 50
Access to radio 81
Wood/Charcoal for cooking 35
Main Source of income, percent
Household main income
Farming 7
Wages & Salaries 69
Cash remittance 6
Business, non-farming 5
Pension 10
Fertility
Average number of children per woman 3.2
Mortality
Infant deaths per 1000 live births
Females 38
Males 57
Life expectancy at birth, years
Females 61
Males 54
Orphanhood, children under 15 years, percent
Orphaned by
Mother 4
Father 6
Both parents 1
Disability, percent
With disability 3
Of whom
Deaf 22
Blind 29
Speech 10
Hands 13
Legs 27
Mental 7
Census Indicators
9
Kavango Region Census Indicators, 2001
Population Size
Total 202 694
Females 106 176
Males 96 515
Growth Rate 3.7
In Urban/Rural, percent
Urban areas 28
Rural areas 72
Sex ratio: Males per 100 females 91
Area: In square kilometres 48 463
Population density
Persons per sq. km 4.2
Age composition, percent
Under 5 years 15
5 14 years 29
15 59 years 48
60+ years 6
Marital status: 15 years and above, Percent
Never married 39
Married with certificate 13
Married traditionally 29
Married consensually 8
Divorced/Separated 6
Widowed 6
Main language spoken at home
Percent of households
Kavango languages 91
Private households
Number 30 467
Average size 6.5
Head of Household, percent
Females 41
Males 59
Literacy rate, 15+ years, percent 70
Education, 15+ years, percent
Never attended 26
Currently at school 19
Left school 51
Children 6-15 years attending school, Percent
Girls 78
Boys 76
Labour force, 15+ years, percent
In labour force 49
Employed 80
Unemployed 20
Outside labour force 43
Student 33
Homemaker 46
Retired, too old, etc. 21
Housing Conditions, percent
Households with
Safe water 62
No toilet facility 81
Electricity for lighting 11
Access to radio 79
Wood/Charcoal for cooking 89
Main Source of income, percent
Household main income
Farming 52
Wages & Salaries 21
Cash remittance 4
Business, non-farming 14
Pension 5
Fertility
Average number of children per woman 5.5
Mortality
Infant deaths per 1000 live births
Females 65
Males 77
Life expectancy at birth, years
Females 42
Males 42
Orphanhood, children under 15 years, percent
Orphaned by
Mother 5
Father 10
Both parents 2
Disability, percent
With disability 6
Of whom
Deaf 21
Blind 31
Speech 10
Hands 16
Legs 26
Mental 6
Census Indicators
10
Khomas Region Census Indicators, 2001
Population Size
Total 250 262
Females 123 613
Males 126 648
Growth Rate 4.0
In Urban/Rural, percent
Urban areas 93
Rural areas 7
Sex ratio: Males per 100 females 102
Area: In square kilometres 37 007
Population density
Persons per sq. km 6.8
Age composition, percent
Under 5 years 11
5 14 years 18
15 59 years 67
60+ years 4
Marital status: 15 years and above Percent
Never married 61
Married with certificate 24
Married traditionally 3
Married consensually 7
Divorced/Separated 2
Widowed 2
Main language spoken at home
Percent of households
Oshiwambo 37
Afrikaans 24
Nama/Damara 13
Private households
Number 58 580
Average size 4.2
Head of Household, percent
Females 36
Males 64
Literacy rate, 15+ years, percent 94
Education, 15+ years, percent
Never attended 8
Currently at school 12
Left school 76
Labour force, 15+ years, percent
In labour force 46
Employed 71
Unemployed 29
Outside labour force 50
Student 55
Homemaker 25
Retired, too old, etc. 20
Housing Conditions, percent
Households with
Safe water 98
No toilet facility 20
Electricity for lighting 69
Access to radio 83
Wood/Charcoal for cooking 9
Main Source of income, percent
Household main income
Farming 1
Wages & Salaries 74
Cash remittance 7
Business, non-farming 11
Pension 4
Fertility
Average number of children per woman 4.9
Mortality
Infant deaths per 1000 live births
Females 53
Males 90
Life expectancy at birth, years
Females 56
Males 54
Orphanhood, children under 15 years, percent
Orphaned by
Mother 5
Father 10
Both parents 1
Disability, percent
With disability 4
Of whom
Deaf 22
Blind 44
Speech 11
Hands 9
Legs 15
Mental 4
Children 6-15 years attending school percent
Girls 87
Boys 86
Census Indicators
11
Kunene Region Census Indicators, 2001
Population Size
Total 68 735
Females 34 237
Males 34 487
Growth Rate 1.9
In Urban/Rural, percent
Urban areas 25
Rural areas 75
Sex ratio: Males per 100 females 101
Area: In square kilometres 115 293
Population density
Persons per sq. km 0.6
Age composition, percent
Under 5 years 15
5 14 years 26
15 59 years 48
60+ years 7
Marital status: 15 years and above percent
Never married 52
Married with certificate 12
Married traditionally 17
Married consensually 12
Divorced/Separated 2
Widowed 4
Main language spoken at home
Percent of households
Otjiherero languages 42
Nama/Damara 36
Private households
Number 12 489
Average size 5.3
Head of Household, percent
Females 40
Males 60
Literacy rate, 15+ years, percent 57
Education, 15+ years, percent
Never attended 41
Currently at school 9
Left school 45
Children 6-15 years attending school percent
Girls 51
Boys 49
Labour force, 15+ years, percent
In labour force 56
Employed 77
Unemployed 23
Outside labour force 37
Student 19
Homemaker 56
Retired, too old, etc. 25
Housing Conditions, percent
Households with
Safe water 73
No toilet facility 66
Electricity for lighting 22
Access to radio 72
Main Source of income, percent
Household main income
Farming 35
Wages & Salaries 37
Cash remittance 7
Business, non-farming 7
Pension 10
Wood/Charcoal for cooking 81
Fertility
Average number of children per woman 4.7
Mortality
Infant deaths per 1000 live births
Females 49
Males 61
Life expectancy at birth, years
Females 57
Males 50
Orphanhood, children under 15 years, percent
Orphaned by
Mother 2
Father 5
Both parents 1
Disability, percent
With disability 5
Of whom
Deaf 18
Blind 35
Speech 16
Hands 18
Legs 27
Mental 5
Census Indicators
12
Ohangwena Region Census Indicators, 2001
Population Size
Total 228 384
Females 124 828
Males 103 556
Growth Rate 2.4
In Urban/Rural, percent
Urban areas 1
Rural areas 99
Sex ratio: Males per 100 females 83
Area: In square kilometres 10 703
Population density
Persons per sq. km 21.3
Age composition, percent
Under 5 years 15
5 14 years 33
15 59 years 41
60+ years 9
Marital status: 15 years and above percent
Never married 59
Married with certificate 17
Married traditionally 9
Married consensually 4
Divorced/Separated 4
Widowed 6
Main language spoken at home
Percent of households
Oshiwambo languages 97
Private households
Number 35 958
Average size 6.3
Head of Household, percent
Females 60
Males 40
Literacy rate, 15+ years, percent 79
Education, 15+ years, percent
Never attended 23
Currently at school 23
Left school 51
Children 6-15 years attending school Percent
Girls 53
Boys 47
Labour force, 15+ years, percent
In labour force 43
Employed 64
Unemployed 36
Outside labour force 53
Student 35
Homemaker 41
Retired, too old, etc. 24
Housing Conditions, percent
Households with
Safe water 78
No toilet facility 89
Electricity for lighting 4
Access to radio 72
Wood/Charcoal for cooking 94
Main Source of income, percent
Household main income
Farming 52
Wages & Salaries 13
Cash remittance 5
Business, non-farming 8
Pension 20
Fertility
Average number of children per woman 5.3
Mortality
Infant deaths per 1000 live births
Females 56
Males 56
Life expectancy at birth, years
Females 45
Males 43
Orphanhood, children under 15 years, percent
Orphaned by
Mother 5
Father 11
Both parents 2
Disability, percent
With disability 5
Of whom
Deaf 22
Blind 32
Speech 11
Hands 15
Legs 26
Mental 5
Census Indicators
13
Omaheke Region Census Indicators, 2001
Population Size
Total 68 039
Females 32 484
Males 35 554
Growth Rate 2.5
In Urban/Rural, percent
Urban areas 28
Rural areas 72
Sex ratio: Males per 100 females 98
Area: In square kilometres 84 612
Population density
Persons per sq. km 0.8
Age composition, percent
Under 5 years 15
5 14 years 26
15 59 years 51
60+ years 6
Marital status: 15 years and above percent
Never married 60
Married with certificate 13
Married traditionally 8
Married consensually 13
Divorced/Separated 2
Widowed 3
Main language spoken at home
Percent of households
Otjiherero languages 39
Nama/Damara 27
Afrikaans 12
Private households
Number 12590
Average size 5.3
Head of Household, percent
Females 33
Males 67
Literacy rate, 15+ years, percent 66
Education, 15+ years, percent
Never attended 33
Currently at school 12
Left school 51
Children 6-15 years attending school percent
Girls 75
Boys 72
Labour force, 15+ years, percent
In labour force 54
Employed 76
Unemployed 24
Outside labour force 40
Student 26
Homemaker 55
Retired, too old, etc. 19
Housing Conditions, percent
Households with
Safe water 89
No toilet facility 62
Electricity for lighting 28
Access to radio 77
Wood/Charcoal for cooking 76
Main Source of income, percent
Household main income
Farming 28
Wages & Salaries 45
Cash remittance 7
Business, non-farming 6
Pension 9
Fertility
Average number of children per woman 4.7
Mortality
Infant deaths per 1000 live births
Females 51
Males 59
Life expectancy at birth, years
Females 60
Males 55
Orphanhood, children under 15 years, percent
Orphaned by
Mother 3
Father 5
Both parents 1
Disability, percent
With disability 4
Of whom
Deaf 26
Blind 30
Speech 14
Hands 13
Legs 24
Mental 7
Census Indicators
14
Omusati Region Census Indicators, 2001
Population Size
Total 228 842
Females 126 368
Males 102 473
Growth Rate 1.5
In Urban/Rural, percent
Urban areas 1
Rural areas 99
Sex ratio
Males per 100 females 81
Area: In square kilometres 26 573
Population density
Persons per sq. km 8.6
Age composition, percent
Under 5 years 13
5 14 years 31
15 59 years 45
60+ years 9
Marital status: 15 years and above percent
Never married 60
Married with certificate 19
Married traditionally 8
Married consensually 4
Divorced/Separated 3
Widowed 5
Main language spoken at home
Percent of households
Oshiwambo languages 95
Private households
Number 38 202
Average size 5.9
Head of Household, percent
Females 62
Males 38
Literacy rate, 15+ years, percent 83
Education, 15+ years, percent
Never attended 17
Currently at school 24
Left school 55
Children 6-15 years attending school percent
Girls 91
Boys 88
Labour force, 15+ years, percent
In labour force 37
Employed 64
Unemployed 36
Outside labour force 59
Student 32
Homemaker 49
Retired, too old, etc. 19
Housing Conditions, percent
Households with
Safe water 83
No toilet facility 83
Electricity for lighting 4
Access to radio 75
Wood /Charcoal for cooking 93
Main Source of income, percent
Household main income
Farming 46
Wages & Salaries 16
Cash remittance 6
Business, non-farming 8
Pension 22
Fertility
Average number of children per woman 4.9
Mortality
Infant deaths per 1000 live births
Females 32
Males 46
Life expectancy at birth, years
Females 50
Males 46
Orphanhood, children under 15 years, percent
Orphaned by
Mother 5
Father 11
Both parents 1
Disability, percent
With disability 6
Of whom
Deaf 21
Blind 38
Speech 12
Hands 14
Legs 23
Mental 5
Census Indicators
15
Oshana Region Census Indicators, 2001
Population Size
Total 161 916
Females 87 958
Males 73 957
Growth Rate 1.8
In Urban/Rural, percent
Urban areas 31
Rural areas 69
Sex ratio: Males per 100 females 84
Area: In square kilometres 8 653
Population density
Persons per sq. km 18.7
Age composition, percent
Under 5 years 12
5 14 years 28
15 59 years 53
60+ years 7
Marital status: 15 years and above Percent
Never married 63
Married with certificate 20
Married traditionally 4
Married consensually 6
Divorced/Separated 2
Widowed 4
Main language spoken at home
Percent of households
Oshiwambo languages 93
Private households
Number 29 557
Average size 5.4
Head of Household, percent
Females 54
Males 46
Literacy rate, 15+ years, percent 89
Education, 15+ years, percent
Never attended 8
Currently at school 22
Left school 65
Children 6-15 years attending school percent
Girls 52
Boys 48
Labour force, 15+ years, percent
In labour force 49
Employed 59
Unemployed 41
Outside labour force 45
Student 44
Homemaker 37
Retired, too old, etc. 19
Housing Conditions, percent
Households with
Safe water 93
No toilet facility 49
Electricity for lighting 19
Access to radio 84
Wood/Charcoal for cooking 66
Main Source of income, percent
Household main income
Farming 36
Wages & Salaries 32
Cash remittance 5
Business, non-farming 13
Pension 12
Fertility
Average number of children per woman 3.7
Mortality
Infant deaths per 1000 live births
Females 41
Males 46
Life expectancy at birth, years
Females 48
Males 46
Orphanhood, children under 15 years, percent
Orphaned by
Mother 6
Father 12
Both parents 2
Disability, percent
With disability 5
Of whom
Deaf 21
Blind 31
Speech 12
Hands 13
Legs 26
Mental 6
Census Indicators
16
Oshikoto Region Census Indicators, 2001
Population Size
Total 161 007
Females 84 620
Males 76387
Growth Rate 2.2
In Urban/Rural, percent
Urban areas 9
Rural areas 91
Sex ratio: Males per 100 females 90
Area: In square kilometres 38 653
Population density
Persons per sq. km 4.2
Age composition, percent
Under 5 years 14
5 14 years 29
15 59 years 47
60+ years 8
Marital status: 15 years and above percent
Never married 59
Married with certificate 22
Married traditionally 45
Married consensually 7
Divorced/Separated 2
Widowed 4
Main language spoken at home
Percent of households
Oshiwambo languages 87
Private households
Number 28 419
Average size 5.6
Head of Household, percent
Females 50
Males 50
Literacy rate, 15+ years, percent 83
Education, 15+ years, percent
Never attended 16
Currently at school 20
Left school 61
Children 6-15 years attending school percent
Girls 87
Boys 82
Labour force, 15+ years, percent
In labour force 39
Employed 55
Unemployed 45
Outside labour force 56
Student 34
Homemaker 45
Retired, too old, etc. 21
Housing Conditions, percent
Households with
Safe water 88
No toilet facility 70
Electricity for lighting 15
Access to radio 79
Wood/Charcoal for cooking 84
Main Source of income, percent
Household main income
Farming 56
Wages & Salaries 20
Cash remittance 3
Business, non-farming 6
Pension 11
Fertility
Average number of children per woman 4.6
Mortality
Infant deaths per 1000 live births
Females 58
Males 61
Life expectancy at birth, years
Females 50
Males 50
Orphanhood, children under 15 years, percent
Orphaned by
Mother 5
Father 10
Both parents 1
Disability, percent
With disability 5
Of whom
Deaf 24
Blind 29
Speech 11
Hands 16
Legs 24
Mental 7
Census Indicators
17
Otjozondjupa Region Census Indicators, 2001
Population Size
Total 135 384
Females 65 488
Males 69 896
Growth Rate 2.8
In Urban/Rural, percent
Urban areas 41
Rural areas 59
Sex ratio: Males per 100 females 107
Area: In square kilometres 105 185
Population density
Persons per sq. km 1.3
Age composition, percent
Under 5 years 14
5 14 years 24
15 59 years 55
60+ years 5
Marital status: 15 years and above percent
Never married 55
Married with certificate 15
Married traditionally 10
Married consensually 13
Divorced/Separated 2
Widowed 3
Main language spoken at home
Percent of households
Otjiherero languages 28
Nama/Damara 22
Oshiwambo languages 20
Private households
Number 25 338
Average size 4.6
Head of Household, percent
Females 33
Males 67
Literacy rate, 15+ years, percent 67
Education, 15+ years, percent
Never attended 22
Currently at school 10
Left school 53
Children 6-15 years attending school percent
Girls 66
Boys 61
Labour force, 15+ years, percent
In labour force 52
Employed 68
Unemployed 32
Outside labour force 49
Student 31
Homemaker 46
Retired, too old, etc. 23
Housing Conditions, percent
Households with
Safe water 94
No toilet facility 43
Electricity for lighting 42
Access to radio 80
Wood/Charcoal for cooking 60
Main Source of income, percent
Household main income
Farming 15
Wages & Salaries 55
Cash remittance 10
Business, non-farming 8
Pension 7
Fertility
Average number of children per woman 4.1
Mortality
Infant deaths per 1000 live births
Females 45
Males 51
Life expectancy at birth, years
Females 61
Males 55
Orphanhood, children under 15 years, percent
Orphaned by
Mother 3
Father 6
Both parents 1
Disability, percent
With disability 4
Of whom
Deaf 18
Blind 32
Speech 13
Hands 12
Legs 24
Mental 5
Chapter 1 General Overview
18
1 General Overview
1.1 Total Enumerated Population
The total population enumerated in Namibia was 1 830 330. Out of these, 942 572 were females while
887 721 were males. This gives a sex ratio of 94 males per 100 females. It should be noted that these
were the persons who were physically present in Namibia on the Census Reference Night of 27
August 2001 irrespective of their citizenship, nationality or place of usual residence. Some of the
enumerated persons were visitors and travellers who usually reside outside Namibia. Namibian
citizens and any other persons who usually reside in the country, but were not present during the
Reference Night, were not eligible for enumeration.
51 percent of population in Namibia are females
The enumeration exercise covered all persons in private households and institutions, the homeless and
overnight travellers. The figure below provides a breakdown of the population by these groups. The
population in private households constitute close to 97 percent of the total enumerated population.
Population in institutions is about two and half percent while the homeless and overnight travellers
made up less than one percent of the total population.
The size of the private households is relatively large, where close to 40 percent of the households are
made up of more than 6 members. The population in these households constitutes almost two thirds of
the total population in households. While one-person households make up 12 percent of all
households, the population in these households constitute only 2 percent of the household population.
Figure 1.1 Total Population, Namibia, 2001 Census
Total population
1 830 330
Institutional Population
45 040 (2.5%)
Household Population
1 773 235 (96.9 %)
Homeless & Overnight
Travellers
12 055 (0.7%)
1
Person
41 659
2%
2
Persons
92 466
5%
3
Persons
134 289
8%
4
Persons
175 760
10%
5
Persons
197 015
11%
6 7
Persons
376 991
21%
8 9
Persons
295 153
17%
10+
Persons
459 912
26%
Figure 1.2 Households, Namibia, 2001 Census
Households
346 455
1
Person
41 659
12%
2
Persons
46 233
13%
3
Persons
44 763
13%
4
Persons
43 940
13%
5
Persons
39 403
11%
6 7
Persons
58 514
17%
8 9
Persons
35 028
10%
10+
Persons
36 915
11%
Chapter 1 General Overview
19
1.2 Population Distribution
The distribution of population by urban and rural areas as well as by regions is shown in Table 1.2.1
below. Comparisons between 1991 and 2001 census figures can be observed in Table 1.2.2. It should
be noted that urban areas are so proclaimed by the Government. There were 30 proclaimed urban
localities in the country at the time of the census. One third of the population was enumerated in urban
areas. This shows an increase of the proportion of the urban population from 27 in 1991 to 33 percent
in 2001.
It is worth observing that the sex ratio, i.e. the number of males per 100 females, is higher in the urban
than in the rural areas. There were about 99 males for every 100 females in the urban areas as against
92 in the rural ones. The sex ratio for urban areas in 1991 was 103 while that for rural areas was the
same as in 2001.
The distribution of the population by region can also be seen in the same table. Khomas region is now
the most populous with close to 14 percent of the total country population. In 1991, Omusati was the
most populous region. However, the trend in the population distribution has not changed from that of
1991, as the northern part of the country is still the most populous with over 50 percent of the total
population. The proportion of the population in the southern regions of Karas and Hardap is only
about 8 percent of the total population.
Table 1.2.1 Population distribution by sex and area, Namibia,
2001 Census
Area Total Percent Female Male Not
stated
Sex
Ratio
Namibia 1 830 330 100 942 572 887 721 37 94.2
Urban 603 612 33.0 303 236 300 358 18 99.1
Rural 1 226 718 67.0 639 336 587 363 19 91.9
Caprivi 79 826 4.4 40 749 39 077 95.9
Erongo 107 663 5.9 50 040 57 616 7 115.1
Hardap 68 249 3.7 33 665 34 579 5 102.7
Karas 69 329 3.8 32 346 36 976 7 114.3
Kavango 202 694 11.1 106 176 96 515 3 90.9
Khomas 250 262 13.7 123 613 126 648 1 102.5
Kunene 68 735 3.8 34 237 34 487 11 100.7
Ohangwena 228 384 12.5 124 828 103 556 83.0
Omaheke 68 039 3.7 32 484 35 554 1 109.5
Omusati 228 842 12.5 126 368 102 473 1 81.1
Oshana 161 916 8.8 87 958 73 957 1 84.1
Oshikoto 161 007 8.8 84 620 76 387 90.3
Otjozondjupa 135 384 7.4 65 488 69 896 106.7
The changes in the percentage distributions of the population in some of the regions between 1991 and
2001 should be treated with caution since not all changes may be a result of natural decrease or net
migration or both. Some of these changes were brought about by changes in geographical areas,
which took place after 1991. The regions which were affected are Erongo, Caprivi, Kavango, Kunene
and Omusati.
In the case of Erongo, Walvis Bay was not part of the region in 1991. It only became part of the
region in 1994. This has resulted in a significant increase of the regional population between 1991 and
2001. Part of the area of Kunene region was relocated to Omusati region in 1998. The same applies
to Caprivi and Kavango regions where a whole constituency was relocated from the former to the
latter. The decline in the population of Caprivi between 1991 and 2001 is therefore due to the change
in the geographical area. Likewise, the significant increase in the population of Kavango is partly due
to the increase in the geographical area.
Chapter 1 General Overview
20
Table 1.2.2 Population distribution by sex and area, Namibia,
1991and 2001
Area 1991 2001
Total Female Male Total Female Male
Namibia 100 51.3 48.7 100 51.5 48.5
Urban 27.1 49.2 50.8 33.0 50.2 49.8
Rural 72.9 52.1 47.9 67.0 52.1 47.9
Caprivi 6.4 51.3 48.7 4.4 51.0 49.0
Erongo 3.9 47.8 52.2 5.9 46.5 53.5
Hardap 4.7 49.3 50.7 3.7 49.3 50.7
Karas 4.3 44.5 55.5 3.8 46.7 53.3
Kavango 8.3 52.3 47.7 11.1 52.4 47.6
Khomas 11.8 47.5 52.5 13.7 49.4 50.6
Kunene 4.5 49.5 50.5 3.8 49.8 50.2
Ohangwena 12.7 55.4 44.6 12.5 54.7 45.3
Omaheke 3.7 48.2 51.8 3.7 47.7 52.3
Omusati 13.5 56.0 44.0 12.5 55.2 44.8
Oshana 9.6 54.4 45.6 8.8 54.3 45.7
Oshikoto 9.1 51.9 48.1 8.8 52.6 47.4
Otjozondjupa 7.3 46.1 53.9 7.4 48.4 51.6
Chapter 1 General Overview
21
Table 1.2.3 Urban Population by sex and area, Namibia, 2001 Census
Locality Number Percent
Total Female Male Not stated Total Female Male
Windhoek 233 529 116 222 117 306 1 38.7 38.3 39.1
Gobabis 13 856 7 046 6 810 2.3 2.3 2.3
Grootfontein 14 249 6 796 7 453 2.4 2.2 2.5
Karasburg 4 075 2 139 1 936 0.7 0.7 0.6
Karibib 3 726 1 847 1 879 0.6 0.6 0.6
Keetmanshoop 15 778 8 204 7 573 1 2.6 2.7 2.5
Mariental 9 836 4 826 5 008 2 1.6 1.6 1.7
Omaruru 4 761 2 390 2 371 0.8 0.8 0.8
Otavi 3 813 2 022 1 791 0.6 0.7 0.6
Otjiwarongo 19 614 10 459 9155 3.2 3.4 3.0
Outjo 6 013 3 194 2 819 1.0 1.1 0.9
Tsumeb 14 929 7 434 7 495 2.5 2.5 2.5
Henties Bay 3 285 1 636 1 649 0.5 0.5 0.5
Okahandja 14 039 7 064 6 975 2.3 2.3 2.3
Swakopmund 23 808 11 651 12 157 3.9 3.8 4.0
Usakos 2 926 1587 1 339 0.5 0.5 0.4
Walvis Bay 43 611 19 021 24 583 7 7.2 6.3 8.2
Arandis 3 974 1 990 1 984 0.7 0.7 0.7
Eenhana 2 814 1 511 1 303 0.5 0.5 0.4
Katima Mulilo 22 134 11 849 10 285 3.7 3.9 3.4
Khorixas 5 890 3 105 2 783 2 1.0 1.0 0.9
Luderitz 13 295 5 791 7 502 2 2.2 1.9 2.5
Okakarara 3 296 1 721 1 575 0.5 0.6 0.5
Ondangwa 10 900 5 446 5 454 1.8 1.8 1.8
Ongwediva 10 742 6 189 4 553 1.8 2.0 1.5
Opuwo 5 101 2 536 2 565 0.8 0.8 0.9
Oshakati 28 255 15 204 13 051 4.7 5.0 4.3
Rehoboth 21 308 11 305 10 003 3.5 3.7 3.3
Rundu 36 964 19 769 17 192 3 6.1 6.5 5.7
Outapi 2 640 1 310 1 330 0.4 0.4 0.4
Oranjemund 4 451 1 972 2 479 0.7 0.7 0.8
Total 603 612 303 236 300 358 18 100 100 100
1.3 The Population Growth
The inter-censal growth rate, i.e. between 1991 and 2001 is 2.6 percent. This means that, on average,
the population in Namibia is growing at rate of 2.6 percent per annum. At this rate of growth, the
population of Namibia will double in 27 years time. The growth rate during this inter-censal period
has declined from the 1981 1991 period, which was 3.1 percent per annum.
Table 1.3 below gives the growth rates by region. It should be mentioned that the calculation of the
growth rates for regions took into account the changes in the geographical areas of those regions
which were affected by such changes. As it can be seen in the table, there are variations in the growth
rates for regions. While most of the regions have growth rates which fluctuates between 2 and 3
percent, Khomas and Kavango have higher rates which are respectively 4.0 and 3.7 percent. On the
other hand, Hardap, Erongo, Karas and Omusati have the lowest growth rates, which range from 0.3 to
1.5 percent.
Table 1.2.3 gives the
distribution of the
population by urban
localities. Windhoek
has the highest
proportion of the
urban population (38.7
percent) followed by
Walvis Bay, Rundu
and Oshakati with 7.2,
6.1 and 4.7 percent
respectively. The
smallest urban area in
Namibia is Outapi
with a proportion of
only 0.4 percent.
Chapter 1 General Overview
22
Table 1.3 Percentage growth rate by area from 1991 to 2001, Namibia
Area % Growth rate
Namibia
2.6
Caprivi* 1.8
Erongo** 1.3
Hardap 0.3
Karas 1.3
Khomas 4.0
Kavango* 3.7
Kunene* 1.9
Ohangwena 2.4
Omaheke 2.5
Omusati* 1.5
Oshana 1.8
Oshikoto 2.2
Otjozondjupa 2.8
Note: * The areas for the regions of Caprivi, Kavango, Kunene and Omusati
have been adjusted, since they were not the same during the two
periods.
** The growth rate for the Erongo region excludes Walvis Bay which
was not part of the region during the 1991 census.
Chapter 2 Population Structure and Composition
23
2 Population Structure and Composition
The population structure refers to the distribution of the population by age and sex. Information on sex
and age forms the basis for detailed analysis of the characteristics of any population. The age structure
is important in determining the number of births expected in the future. Even if fertility declines, the
number of births may continue to increase because the number of females in childbearing ages
continues to increase. In a developing country like Namibia, out of the three components of population
change, i.e. fertility, mortality and migration, fertility has the most significant influence on population
change.
The Census collected information on age, sex, marital status and citizenship for all persons who were
enumerated. Each of these components is explained in the sections below.
2.1 Age Structure: National Level
Close to 40 percent of the population is aged below 15 years
The age distribution of the population by broad age groups and by area is presented in Table 2.1, while
the distribution of the population by single years is given in the Appendix. It can be observed from the
table that Namibia has a relatively young population, close to 40 of the whole population is under 15
years of age. The rural areas have relatively younger age structure than the urban ones. The proportion
of the population aged less than 15 years in rural areas is slightly over 43 percent while that of urban
areas is only 30 percent.
The youthfulness of the population is more pronounced by the population pyramid, Figure 2.1, which
has a very broad base and a very narrow apex. Close to 7 percent of the population is aged 60 years
and above, i.e. the senior citizens, a relatively low percentage compared to other age groups.
Population pyramids of this shape are typical for countries with relatively high fertility and high
mortality.
Table 2.1 Population distribution by area and age group,
Namibia, 2001 Census
Area Percent in age group
0 - 4 5 - 14 15 - 59 60+ Not stated
Namibia 13.2 26.1 52.3 6.7 1.8
Urban 11.2 18.9 64.4 3.9 1.6
Rural 14.2 29.6 46.3 8.0 1.9
Caprivi 13.5 25.4 55.0 6.0 0.1
Erongo 10.7 17.6 63.9 5.8 2.0
Hardap 12.6 23.1 55.3 7.5 1.5
Karas 11.1 19.5 62.6 5.7 1.2
Kavango 15.0 28.9 48.2 5.9 1.9
Khomas 10.7 17.7 66.7 3.5 1.3
Kunene 15.1 25.9 48.2 7.3 3.4
Ohangwena 15.2 33.0 41.0 9.1 1.6
Omaheke 14.6 25.9 50.5 6.2 2.7
Omusati 12.9 31.0 44.5 9.2 2.4
Oshana 11.9 27.5 52.5 6.7 1.4
Oshikoto 14.0 29.4 47.0 7.5 2.1
Otjozondjupa 14.2 23.6 55.4 5.4 1.5
Chapter 2 Population Structure and Composition
24
Figure 2.1 Population Pyramid, Namibia, 2001 Census
150000 100000 50000 0 50000 100000 150000
0 - 4
5 - 9
10 - 14
15 - 19
20 - 24
25 - 29
30 - 34
35 - 39
40 - 44
45 - 49
50 - 54
55 - 59
60 - 64
65 - 69
70 - 74
75 - 79
80 - 84
85 - 89
90 - 94
Female Population Male
2.2 Age structure: Urban and rural areas
Figures 2.2.1 and 2.2.2 present the population pyramids respectively for urban and rural areas by five-
year age groups. There exist significant differences on the age structure between urban and rural
areas. The rural areas have relatively more young people as well as senior citizens. On the other
hand, the urban areas have relatively more people in the economically active age groups, i.e. 15 59
years. This phenomenon can be observed in the pyramids for the two areas. The pyramid for the
urban areas is rather bulky in the middle and has a relatively narrow apex, implying a large proportion
of the working population and a small proportion of the senior citizens. On the contrary, the pyramid
for the rural areas has a relatively broader base and an apex, which is not as narrow as that of the urban
pyramid. This is a demonstration of the relatively higher proportions of both the young and the old
populations in the rural areas.
Figure 2.2.1 Urban population pyramid, Namibia,
2001 Census
2.3
150000 100000 50000 0 50000 100000 150000
0 - 4
5 - 9
10 - 14
15 - 19
20 - 24
25 - 29
30 - 34
35 - 39
40 - 44
45 - 49
50 - 54
55 - 59
60 - 64
65 - 69
70 - 74
75 - 79
80 - 84
85 - 89
90 - 94
Female Population Male
Figure 2.2.2 Rural population pyramid, Namibia,
2001 Census
150000 100000 50000 0 50000 100000 150000
0 - 4
5 - 9
10 - 14
15 - 19
20 - 24
25 - 29
30 - 34
35 - 39
40 - 44
45 - 49
50 - 54
55 - 59
60 - 64
65 - 69
70 - 74
75 - 79
80 - 84
85 - 89
90 - 94
Female Population Male
2.3 Age Structure: Regional Comparisons
There are variations in the age distribution of the population by regions. As shown in Table 2.1
regions with significant urban populations, for example Khomas, Erongo, Hardap and Otjozondjupa,
are more characterised by relatively high proportions of the population in the middle ages, i.e. ages 15
to 59 years. For example, in Khomas two thirds of the population is made up of persons aged 15 to 59
years.
Chapter 2 Population Structure and Composition
25
2.2 Sex composition
For every 100 females in Namibia there are 94 Males
Table 2.4 shows the sex ratio as well as the sex composition (percents) of the population by area.
Females make up 51 percent of the whole population in the country. The sex ratio, which is the
number of males per 100 females, is 94, which is the same as in 1991. Table 2.4 shows the sex ratio
by urban and rural areas and by regions. The number of females and males are almost equal in urban
areas (99 males per 100 females) while in rural areas the number of males is less than that of females
where the sex ratio is 92. With the exception of Kunene region, the northern regions have relatively
more females than males. On the other hand, the southern and central regions have an excess of males
over females.
Table 2.4 Sex ratio and percent distribution
of the population by sex and area
Namibia, 2001 Census
Area Percent Sex ratio
Females Males
Namibia 51 49 94
Urban 50 50 99
Rural 52 48 92
Caprivi 51 49 96
Erongo 46 54 115
Hardap 49 51 103
Karas 47 53 114
Kavango 52 48 91
Khomas 49 51 102
Kunene 50 50 101
Ohangwena 55 45 83
Omaheke 48 52 109
Omusati 55 45 81
Oshana 54 46 84
Oshikoto 53 47 90
Otjozondjupa 48 52 107
Figure 2.4 Sex ratio by age, Namibia, 2001 Census
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
0
- 4
5
-
9
10
-
14
15
-
19
20
-
24
25
-
29
30
-
34
35
-
39
40
-
44
45
-
49
50
-
54
55
-
59
60
-
64
65
-
69
70
-
74
75
-
79
80
-
84
85
-
89
90
-
94
Agegroup
N
um
be
r o
f m
al
es
p
er
1
00
fe
m
al
es
The sex ratio declines as age
increases. This can be
observed in Figure 2.4.
Chapter 2 Population Structure and Composition
26
2.5 Marital status
29% of the population aged at least 15 years are currently formally
married, and only 19 % are married with certificate
Marital status in the past used to play an important role in determining the levels of fertility. However,
the extent to which it influences fertility seems to be gradually diminishing as many people nowadays
continue to have children out of wedlock or opt to have relatively few children even when they are
married.
The Census asked all persons their current marital status. Individuals were categorised into six types of
marital status. These are: never married, married with certificate (by civil law), married traditionally or
customarily, consensual union, divorced or separated, and widowed. The two types of recognised
forms of marriage in Namibia are married with certificate and traditional. Table 2.5 below presents the
distribution of the population aged 15 years and above by type of marital status.
As it can be observed, slightly over 28 percent of the population aged 15 years and above are either
married with certificate or traditionally. Only 19 percent married with certificate. The never married
population forms the highest proportion, which is 56 percent. On the other hand, 7 percent of the
population is made up of couples in consensual unions, i.e., they consider themselves married but have
not formalised the union either legally or traditionally. The proportion of the widowed and
divorced/separated population is close to 7 percent. However, there are relatively more widowed and
divorced/separated females than males.
Table 2.5 Population 15 years and above by sex and marital status,
Namibia, 2001 Census
Marital Status Number Percent
Total Female Male Not
Stated
Total Female Male
Never Married 625 230 300 540 324 683 7 56.2 51.9 60.9
Married with certificate 213 152 109 889 103 258 5 19.2 19.0 19.4
Married traditionally 104 575 58 138 46 437 9.4 10.0 8.7
Consensual Union 82 108 43 916 38 191 1 7.4 7.6 7.2
Divorced/Separated 30 785 22 427 8 358 2.8 3.9 1.6
Widowed 44 528 38 873 5 654 1 4.0 6.7 1.1
Not Stated 11 469 5 219 6 230 20 1.0 0.9 1.2
Total 1 111 847 579 002 532 811 34 100.0 100.0 100.0
2.6 Citizenship
Table 2.6.1 Population by sex and citizenship, Namibia, 2001 Census
Citizenship Number Percent
Total Female Male
Not
Stated Total Female Male
Namibian 1 770 324 915 957 854 354 13 96.7 97.2 96.2
Non-Namibians 56 923 25 184 31 719 20 3.1 2.7 3.6
Not Stated 3 083 1 431 1 648 4 0.2 0.2 0.2
Total 1 830 330 942 572 887 721 37 100.0 100.0 100.0
All persons were asked to
state their country of citizen-
ship. The information on
citizenship can be important
for various reasons.
Citizenship can be perceived
as a measure of the extent
Namibia is interacting with
the rest of the world. Tables
2.6.1 and 2.6.2 show the
population by citizenships. It
can be seen from Table 2.6.1
that close to 97 percent of the
population is Namibian. The
non-Namibian citizens are
made up mainly of Angolan
citizens (43 %) followed by
South Africans and Zambians
12 and 9 percent respectively.
Chapter 2 Population Structure and Composition
27
Table 2.6.2 Population with non-Namibian citizenship by sex and citizenship,
Namibia, 2001 Census
Citizenship Number Percent
Total Female Male Not
Stated
Total Female Male
Angola 24 342 10 336 14 006 42.8 41.0 44.2
Botswana 587 292 295 1.0 1.2 0.9
RSA 6 595 3 196 3 394 5 11.6 12.7 10.7
Zambia 5 092 1 585 3 507 8.9 6.3 11.1
Zimbabwe 1 262 644 618 2.2 2.6 1.9
Other SADC Countries 8 494 4 269 4 225 14.9 17.0 13.3
Other African Countries 1 303 525 778 2.3 2.1 2.5
European Countries 6 622 3 089 3 518 15 11.6 12.3 11.1
American Countries 1 547 808 739 2.7 3.2 2.3
Asian and Oceanic Countries 852 340 512 1.5 1.4 1.6
Other Countries 227 100 127 0.4 0.4 0.4
Total 56 923 25 184 31 719 20 100.0 100.0 100.0
Chapter 3 Disability
28
3 Disability
The Census asked all enumerated persons in households and institutions about any type of permanent
disability or limitation. Disability is defined as a limitation in carrying out everyday activities at home,
at work, or at school because of long-term physical or mental condition.
Six various types of disability are identified: blind, deaf, impaired speech, impairment of hands,
impairment of legs and mentally disabled/mentally ill.
Table 3.1 below shows the disabled population by area and sex. It can be seen from the table that the
proportion of the disabled population in Namibia is close to 5 percent. There are no differences
between females and males. The proportion of disabled persons is lower in urban than in rural areas.
In the former it is 4 percent as against 5 percent in the latter. At regional level, there are significant
differences. The proportion of disabled persons ranges from 3 percent in Karas to 6 percent in Hardap
and Omusati.
Table 3.1 Disabled Population by area and sex, Namibia, 2001 Census
Area Population Disabled Population Percent Disabled
Total Female Male Total Female Male Total Female Male
Namibia
1 818 275 938 875 879 396 85 567 43 966 41 601 4.7 4.7 4.7
Urban 596 763 301 322 295 440 22 062 10 978 11 084 3.7 3.6 3.8
Rural
1 221 512 637 553 583 956 63 505 32 988 30 517 5.2 5.2 5.2
Caprivi 79 652 40 677 38 975 3 495 1 822 1 673 4.4 4.5 4.3
Erongo 105 294 49 704 55 590 3 779 1 846 1 933 3.6 3.7 3.5
Hardap 67 754 33 462 34 289 4 125 2 010 2 115 6.1 6.0 6.2
Karas 67 765 32 008 35 757 1 698 762 936 2.5 2.4 2.6
Kavango 201 651 105 744 95 907 11 045 5 663 5 382 5.5 5.4 5.6
Khomas 248 689 122 950 125 738 9 150 4 524 4 626 3.7 3.7 3.7
Kunene 67 476 33 739 33 737 3 125 1 515 1 610 4.6 4.5 4.8
Ohangwena 228 173 124 766 103 407 10 378 5 572 4 806 4.5 4.5 4.6
Omaheke 67 835 32 419 35 416 2 426 1 155 1 271 3.6 3.6 3.6
Omusati 227 993 126 088 101 905 14 572 8 092 6 480 6.4 6.4 6.4
Oshana 161 196 87 741 73 455 7 248 3 813 3 435 4.5 4.3 4.7
Oshikoto 160 086 84 300 75 786 8 607 4 416 4 191 5.4 5.2 5.5
Otjozondjupa 134 711 65 277 69 434 5 919 2 776 3 143 4.4 4.3 4.5
Table 3.2 presents the disabled population by type of disability and sex. It can be observed that
blindness is the most common type of disability in Namibia. It affects 35 percent of the disabled
population. In females, it is 6 percent higher than in males, making it the disability type with the
largest difference between the sexes. Impairment of legs, the second most common disability in
Namibia, accounts for 24 percent of all disabilities. It is significantly higher in males than in females.
Chapter 3 Disability
29
Table 3.2 Type of disability by sex, Namibia, 2001 Census
Type of disability Number Percent
Total Female Male Total Female Male
Blind 29 949 16 688 13 261 35.0 38.0 31.9
Deaf 18 313 9 590 8 723 21.4 21.8 21.0
Impaired Speech 9 756 4 778 4 978 11.4 10.9 12.0
Impairment of Hands 11 659 5 615 6 044 13.6 12.8 14.5
Impairment of Legs 20 560 9 890 10 670 24.0 22.5 25.6
Mental disabled/Mentally ill 4 782 2 316 2 466 5.6 5.3 5.9
Other 4 562 2 440 2 122 5.3 5.5 5.1
Not stated 14 673 7 479 7 194 17.1 17.0 17.3
Total* 85 567 43 966 41 601
Note: * The total is the number of persons with a disability. This is not the total
in the column as some persons have multiple disabilities
Table 3.3 reflects the percent of the disabled population by type and area. The table shows almost
three quarters of the disabled population are in the rural areas. About 3 out of 5 of the disabled are
found in the northern regions of Kavango, Ohangwena, Omusati, Oshana and Oshikoto. The southern
regions of Karas and Hardap have a relatively low proportion of the disabled (less than 8 percent).
The distribution of the type of disability by urban and rural areas and by region follows almost the
same pattern as that of the national level.
Table 3.3 Percent disabled population by type and area, Namibia, 2001 Census
Area Total
disabled
Percent
Disabled
Type of Disability
Blind Deaf Speech Hands Legs Mental Other
Namibia
85 567 100.0 35.0 21.4 11.4 13.6 24.0 5.6 5.3
Urban 22 062 25.8 29.0 25.3 25.6 19.0 20.7 20.1 28.1
Rural
63 505 74.2 71.0 74.7 74.4 81.0 79.3 79.9 71.9
Caprivi 3 495 4.1 4.1 4.6 3.7 3.9 4.5 7.6 2.8
Erongo 3 779 4.4 5.2 4.4 3.8 3.3 4.0 3.4 7.1
Hardap 4 125 4.8 6.4 4.2 3.1 3.5 5.6 5.4 5.5
Karas 1 698 2.0 1.7 2.0 1.7 1.9 2.3 2.6 3.0
Kavango 11 045 12.9 11.5 12.7 11.3 15.5 14.2 14.4 13.3
Khomas 9 150 10.7 13.5 11.0 10.4 7.2 6.6 6.7 7.3
Kunene 3 125 3.7 3.6 3.0 5.0 4.7 4.1 3.0 2.2
Ohangwena 10 378 12.1 10.9 12.5 11.9 13.5 13.3 11.3 10.8
Omaheke 2 426 2.8 2.5 3.4 3.4 2.8 2.8 3.8 2.5
Omusati 14 572 17.0 18.3 16.9 18.5 17.3 16.4 14.8 11.8
Oshana 7 248 8.5 7.6 8.1 9.1 8.3 9.0 8.6 11.3
Oshikoto 8 607 10.1 8.4 11.2 9.9 11.8 10.2 11.8 9.1
Otjozondjupa 5 919 6.9 6.4 5.9 8.0 6.3 7.0 6.6 13.2
Note: The columns add to 100% for urban and rural and for all regions respectively.
Chapter 4 Early Childhood Development
30
4 Early Childhood Development
The questions on the existence of Early Childhood Development (ECD) programmes asked in the
Census are explained in detail in Appendix 1. Briefly, all children aged 3 6 years were asked about
attendance of any type of ECD programme. These include Creche/Kindergarten, Day Care Centre/
Nursery School and Pre-Primary School for preparation to enter formal primary education.
Table 4.1 presents the distribution of the 3 - 6 year olds by ECD attendance, sex and area. The Census
counted about 200 000 children in this age group. It can be seen that, for Namibia as a whole, 32
percent of these children were attending ECD programmes. There are no significant differences
between female and male children. However, there are differences between urban and rural areas with
the former having higher proportions of children attending ECD programmes. It should be noted that
the numbers are higher in rural than in urban areas, but it is the proportions which are under
consideration.
Attendance of Early Childhood Development Programmes in the regions varies notably. Relatively
small proportions, less than 20 percent, of children in the regions of Caprivi, Kunene and
Otjozondjupa are involved in ECD programmes. The regions with highest proportions, over 40
percent, of children in ECD programmes are Khomas, Omusati and Oshana.
Table 4.1 Population aged 36 years attending Early Childhood Development
Programme by area and sex, Namibia, 2001 Census
Area Population 3 6 years Attending ECD Percent attending
Total Female Male Total Female Male Total Female Male
Namibia 200 010 100 842 99 168 63 804 33 280 30 524 31.9 33.0 30.8
Urban 48 930 24 851 24 079 19 253 9 993 9 260 39.3 40.2 38.5
Rural 151 080 75 991 75 089 44 551 23 287 21 264 29.5 30.6 28.3
Caprivi 8 692 4 337 4 355 1 207 657 550 13.9 15.1 12.6
Erongo 8 265 4 193 4 072 3 133 1 657 1 476 37.9 39.5 36.2
Hardap 6 843 3 492 3 351 1 510 767 743 22.1 22.0 22.2
Karas 5 828 2 902 2 926 1 997 1 019 978 34.3 35.1 33.4
Kavango 24 631 12 392 12 239 3 698 1 899 1 799 15.0 15.3 14.7
Khomas 19 434 9 945 9 489 8 592 4 483 4 109 44.2 45.1 43.3
Kunene 8 528 4 195 4 333 1 078 551 527 12.6 13.1 12.2
Ohangwena 31 191 15 898 15 293 12 031 6 368 5 663 38.6 40.1 37.0
Omaheke 8 060 3 973 4 087 1 632 854 778 20.2 21.5 19.0
Omusati 27 414 13 794 13 620 11 043 5 710 5 333 40.3 41.4 39.2
Oshana 16 628 8 411 8 217 8 033 4 118 3 915 48.3 49.0 47.6
Oshikoto 19 386 9 810 9 576 7 408 3 955 3 453 38.2 40.3 36.1
Otjozondjupa 15 110 7 500 7 610 2 442 1 242 1 200 16.2 16.6 15.8
Chapter 4 Early Childhood Development
31
Table 4.2 reflects the percent distribution of the children in ECD programmes by type and area. It can
be observed that, at national level, slightly more than three quarters of the children are attending
crèche/kindergarten and one out of five are in pre-primary programmes. Higher proportions of
children are attending the former programme in rural than in urban areas, which is the opposite case
for pre-primary preparation.
The table also reveals that almost all the regions follow the same pattern whereby a large proportion of
the children in ECD programmes are attending Creche/Kindergarten, followed by Pre-Primary with
the notable exception of Kavango where more than half of the children in any type of ECD programme
are attending pre-primary while 46 percent in Creche/Kindergarten.
Table 4.2 Population 36 years of age attending by type of
Early Childhood Development Programme,
Namibia, 2001 Census
Area Type of Early Childhood Development Programme
Creche/
Kindergarten
Daycare Centre/
Nursery School
Pre-Primary Total
Namibia
76.5 3.5 20.0 100
Urban 69.9 6.1 24.0 100
Rural
79.3 2.4 18.3 100
Caprivi 62.1 3.1 34.8 100
Erongo 71.1 8.1 20.8 100
Hardap 61.5 2.5 36.0 100
Karas 72.0 7.1 20.9 100
Kavango 45.7 3.3 51.0 100
Khomas 67.4 6.4 26.2 100
Kunene 72.7 7.7 19.6 100
Ohangwena 83.3 2.8 14.0 100
Omaheke 75.2 2.0 22.7 100
Omusati 83.8 2.2 14.0 100
Oshana 83.0 1.6 15.4 100
Oshikoto 82.3 1.9 15.8 100
Otjozondjupa 78.8 5.0 16.1 100
Chapter 5 Education and Literacy
32
5 Education and Literacy
The Census asked all persons, aged 6 years and above, about school attendance and highest level of
education attained. In addition, there was a question on their ability to write and read in any language
with understanding, so as to measure the level of literacy in the country.
School attendance means attendance at any regular educational institution, public or private, for
systematic instruction at any level of education. Examples of educational institutions are primary
schools, secondary or high schools, technical schools, agricultural institutes, teacher training colleges
and universities.
The questions on school attendance aimed at dividing the population into three categories. Those who
have never attended school, those who are presently attending school, college or university and those
who attended school in the past but have already left.
The question on educational attainment was put to people who are presently attending or have left
school, college or university. Educational attainment means the highest standard, grade or years
completed by a person at a formal educational institution without necessarily a formal certification.
The purpose of the question on literacy was to divide the population into two groups: Those who are
able to write and read a message in any language with understanding and those who do not have this
ability. People who can write but not read or who can read but not write are not literate. The question
on literacy was straightforward: Can you write and read a message in any language? The
respondents answer was recorded directly without any further probing.
5.1 School Attendance
Figure 5.1.1 Percent Total Population 6 years and above by
school attendance and sex, Namibia, 2001
Census
0
10
20
30
40
50
N
ev
er
A
tte
nd
ed
St
ill
a
t
Sc
ho
ol
Le
ft
Sc
ho
ol
N
ot
st
at
ed
Pe
rc
en
t
Female
Male
The Census enumerated slightly over
1.5 million persons aged 6 years and
above of whom 15% have never
attended school. About 34% are
currently attending and slightly over
45% have left school. The numbers of
females and males are almost equal in
these categories, except that more
females have left school.
Figure 5.1.2 Percent Total Population 6 years and above
by urban/ rural and school attendance,
Namibia, 2001 Census
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
N
ev
er
A
tte
nd
ed
St
ill
a
t
Sc
ho
ol
Le
ft
Sc
ho
ol
N
ot
st
at
ed
Pe
rc
en
t
Urban
Rural
The figure reveals significant
differences in proportions of school
attendance for those who never
attended and those who have left
school in urban and rural areas.
Relatively higher proportions have
never attended school in rural areas
than in urban ones. At the same time,
higher proportions have left school in
urban areas. On the other hand, higher
proportions are still at school in rural
than in urban areas.
Chapter 5 Education and Literacy
33
Figure 5.1.3 Percent Total Population 6 years and
above by area and school attendance,
Namibia, 2001 Census
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Namibia
Caprivi
Erongo
Hardap
Karas
Kavango
Khomas
Kunene
Ohangwena
Omaheke
Omusati
Oshana
Oshikoto
Otjozondjupa
Never Attended Still at School Left School
5.2 School Enrolment
Figure 5.2.1 School Enrolment Rates for the population aged 6 24
years by age and sex, Namibia, 2001 Census
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Total
Age
Pe
rc
en
t e
nr
ol
le
d
in
sc
ho
ol
Female
Male
Figure 5.2.2 School Enrolment Rates for the population aged 6 24
years by age and urban and rural areas Namibia, 2001
Census
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24Total
Age
Pe
rc
en
t e
nr
ol
le
d
in
sc
ho
ol
Urban
Rural
The figure shows school
enrolment rates in single
years for the population
aged 6 24 years. About
90% of all children aged
9 14 years attend school.
The highest enrolment rate
is 92% for females at age
11. Enrolment rates for
females are significantly
lower than those for males
in the higher age groups,
i.e. from 19 24 years.
The figure shows that school
enrolment at earlier ages is
higher in urban than in rural
areas, while at older ages it
is the opposite situation. The
highest enrolment rate is
95% at ages 10, 11 and 12
years in urban areas.
Figure 5.1.3 shows significant
differences among regions for
those aged 6 years and above who
never attended school. In Kunene,
higher proportions of the
population, more than 40 percent,
have never attended school. One
out of five of the persons in
Omaheke, Kavango and
Otjozondjupa regions have never
attended school. It is interesting to
note that high proportions of the
population in Khomas, Erongo,
and Karas regions have left school
and less than 10% of the same
population has never attended
school. In all regions more than
20% are still at school while more
than 30% have left school.
Chapter 5 Education and Literacy
34
Figure 5.2.3 School Enrolment Rates for the population aged 6 24
years by area, Namibia, 2001 Census
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
Namibia
Urban
Rural
Caprivi
Erongo
Hardap
Karas
Kavango
Khomas
Kunene
Ohangwena
Omaheke
Omusati
Oshana
Oshikoto
Otjozondju
Percent enrolled
5.3 Educational Attainment
Table 5.3 shows that close to 42% of all those aged 15 years and above and who had left school have
completed primary education while about 15% of them had completed secondary education. About
33% did not complete primary school. There are no significant differences in educational attainment
between females and males in the country.
Table 5.3 Population aged 15 years and above, who left school, by sex
and educational attainment, Namibia, 2001 Census
Educational attainment Number Percent
Total Female Male Not
stated
Total Female Male
Incomplete Primary School 228 298 118 976 109 322 33.5 32.4 34.7
Primary School 283 138 160 807 122 331 41.5 43.8 38.8
Secondary School 105 956 55 730 50 225 1 15.5 15.2 15.9
University 13 459 6 467 6 992 2.0 1.8 2.2
Technical training after
Secondary School
15 771 7 620 8 151 2.3 2.1 2.6
Teachers Training 9 009 5 234 3 775 1.3 1.4 1.2
Not stated 26 651 12 081 14 570 3.9 3.3 4.6
Total 682 282 366 915 315 366 1 100.0 100.0 100.0
5.4 Literacy
Over 4 out of 5 persons aged 15+ years are literate
Census data on literate and illiterate people must be used with special caution. The approach that was
used to collect the information Can you write and read in any language with understanding?
tends, by experience, to overestimate the number of literate people since no literacy test was
administered. There was a provision for two languages for each person.
The literacy question was put to all persons aged 6 years and above. It may be more relevant to use 15
years as the lower age limit, which gives just over 894 600 literate people. This leads to a literacy rate
of 81 percent for all persons aged 15 years and above.
Table 5.4.1 shows that there are no differences between females and males as far as literacy is
concerned. A significant proportion (25%) of persons in rural areas lack the ability to write and read.
Figure 5.2.3 shows that close to
65% of the children aged 6-24
years are enrolled in schools. It
can be observed that among
regions Omusati region has the
highest enrolment rate of about
76%. In Kunene and Otjozondjupa
regions, the enrolment rates are
below 50%.
Chapter 5 Education and Literacy
35
Urban females have by far the highest literacy rate of 92 percent. At regional level, the literacy rate
ranges from 57% in Kunene region to 94% in Khomas region. Females in Kunene region have the
lowest literacy rate of 54% in the country.
Table 5.4.1 Population aged 15 years and above by literacy, sex and area, Namibia, 2001 Census
Area Population Literate Literacy rate
Total Female Male Not
stated
Total Female Male Not
stated
Total Female Male
Namibia
1 100 425 575 603 524 818 4 894 663 467 661 427 001 1 81.3 81.2 81.4
Urban 415 283 207 429 207 853 1 376 743 190 939 185 803 1 90.7 92.1 89.4
Rural
685 142 368 174 316 965 3 517 920 276 722 241 198 75.6 75.2 76.1
Caprivi 48 622 24 979 23 643 38 040 18 682 19 358 78.2 74.8 81.9
Erongo 74 902 34 325 40 577 69 108 32 140 36 968 92.3 93.6 91.1
Hardap 43 455 21 275 22 177 3 36 058 18 253 17 805 83.0 85.8 80.3
Karas 46 672 21 392 25 280 40 439 19 651 20 788 86.6 91.9 82.2
Kavango 112 673 60 894 51 779 79 208 40 134 39 074 70.3 65.9 75.5
Khomas 177 626 86 442 91 183 1 166 373 82 013 84 359 1 93.7 94.9 92.5
Kunene 39 381 19 847 19 534 22 481 10 817 11 664 57.1 54.5 59.7
Ohangwena 117 909 68 753 49 156 93 354 53 809 39 545 79.2 78.3 80.4
Omaheke 40 239 18 858 21 381 26 582 12 552 14 030 66.1 66.6 65.6
Omusati 127 565 75 079 52 486 105 677 61 802 43 875 82.8 82.3 83.6
Oshana 97 491 55 022 42 469 86 630 49 585 37 045 88.9 90.1 87.2
Oshikoto 90 247 49 110 41 137 74 916 41 325 33 591 83.0 84.1 81.7
Otjozondjupa 83 643 39 627 44 016 55 797 26 898 28 899 66.7 67.9 65.7
Table 5.4.2 Literate population aged 15 years and above by sex
and language in which they are literate, Namibia,
2001 Census
Language Number Percent
Total Female Male Not
stated
Total Female Male
San 6 054 3 045 3 009 0.7 0.7 0.7
Caprivi 61 661 30 698 30 963 6.9 6.6 7.3
Otjiherero 76 580 38 433 38 147 8.6 8.2 8.9
Kavango 116 291 57 478 58 813 13.0 12.3 13.8
Nama/Damara 62 856 34 378 28 478 7.0 7.4 6.7
Oshiwambo 624 858 330 068 294 790 69.8 70.6 69.0
Tswana 3 566 1 833 1 733 0.4 0.4 0.4
Afrikaans 335 486 165 602 169 884 37.5 35.4 39.8
German 12 738 6 668 6 069 1 1.4 1.4 1.4
English 620 675 321 516 299 158 1 69.4 68.7 70.1
Other European 16 227 6 730 9 497 1.8 1.4 2.2
Other African 4 715 2 008 2 707 0.5 0.4 0.6
Other 964 409 555 0.1 0.1 0.1
Not stated 15 039 6 305 8 734 1.7 1.3 2.0
Total Literate* 894 663 467 661 427 001 1
Note: * The total is the number of literate persons This is not the total in
the column as some persons are literate in more than one language
More than 2 out of 3
persons aged 15+ years in
Namibia are literate in
either Oshiwambo or
English
Table 5.4.2 reveals that
about 70% of those aged 15
years and above, can write
and read in either
Oshiwambo or English
language with under-
standing. About 37% are
literate in Afrikaans, making
it the third most common
language in which people are
literate.
Chapter 6 Labour Force
36
6 Labour Force
The questions on economic activity that were asked in the Census are given in Appendix 1 together
with their concepts and definitions.
The Census asked all persons aged 8 years and above about their activity during the seven days prior
to the Census night, August 27-28, 2001. A person was regarded as having worked, if he or she had
worked even for one hour for pay, profit or family gain during that period. Consequently, people who
worked for at least one hour but who had another activity, as main activity, for example as student or
homemaker, were economically active according to this definition.
The major purpose of the census questions on economic activity is to divide the population into those
who are currently economically active, that is, belonging to the labour force and those who are outside
the labour force. Other questions allow the breakdown of the employed persons by major groups of
occupation, industry and status in employment.
Persons in the labour force consist of the employed and the unemployed. Persons regarded as being
economically inactive, i.e. outside the labour force, are grouped into seven categories. These are
students, homemakers, retired, old age, income recipient and severely disabled. These persons were
not in any paid or self-employment during the past seven days prior to the Census reference night.
This report focuses on the population aged 15 years and above in order to conform to international
practices.
Figure 6.1 shows that 54% of the population aged 15 years and above belongs to the economically
active group, which forms the labour force, while 39% is outside the labour force. The labour force is
made up of the employed (69%) and the unemployed (31%). In the economically inactive population
group, students make up 35%, while homemakers constitute 40%.
Figure 6.1 Population aged 15 years and above by activity status, Namibia, 2001 Census
Income
Recipient,
Disabled,
Old age,
Retired,
Others
94 350
21.8%
Homemakers
186 644
43.1%
Unemployed
185 258
31.1%
Employed
409591
68.9%
Not
stated
72 693
6.6%
Students
151 889
35.1%
Economically Inactive Population
432 883
39.3%
Economically Active (Labour Force)
594 849
54.1%
Total Population 15 years and above
1 100 425
Chapter 6 Labour Force
37
6.1 Labour force participation rate
Table 6.1 shows that the labour force participation rate for the country is slightly over 54%. The rate
is higher for males (60%) than for females (49%). For the total populations in urban and rural areas,
there are significant differences. For urban areas the rates for females and males are 65% and 74%
respectively. The corresponding rates for rural areas are 40% and 50% respectively. At regional
level, the rates for both females and males range from 37% in Omusati to 74% in Khomas. The table
also shows significant differences between females and males within each of the regions.
Table 6.1 Labour Force Participation
Rates (%) by area and sex
for the Population aged 15+,
Namibia, 2001 Census
Area Total Female Male
Namibia 54.1 48.9 59.7
Urban 69.3 64.9 73.6
Rural 44.8 40.0 50.5
Caprivi 59.8 54.1 65.9
Erongo 71.0 63.9 77.1
Hardap 63.9 56.1 71.4
Karas 66.7 61.5 71.0
Kavango 48.5 47.0 50.3
Khomas 74.3 69.9 78.5
Kunene 55.7 47.1 64.4
Ohangwena 42.5 40.6 45.3
Omaheke 53.9 42.3 64.0
Omusati 37.1 35.5 39.5
Oshana 49.2 47.1 51.8
Oshikoto 38.6 34.2 43.9
Otjozondjupa 51.5 44.3 58.0
6.2 Labour force
About 54% of the population aged 15 years and above belongs to the labour force in Namibia. Table
6.2 shows that, out of these, 69% were employed, while 31% were unemployed. At national level,
slightly over two thirds of the labour force population is employed, while the rest are unemployed.
The proportion of unemployed females is higher than that of their male counterparts. The pattern of
the labour force for urban and rural areas follows the national one.
Table 6.2 Economically Active Population aged 15 years and above by
activity status, sex and area, Namibia, 2001Census
Area Activity Status Number Percent
Total Female Male Total Female Male
Namibia Employed 409 591 180 459 229 132 68.9 64.1 73.2
Unemployed 185 258 101 251 84 007 31.1 35.9 26.8
Total (Labour Force)
594 849 281 710 313 139 100 100 100
Urban Employed 196 960 84 626 112 334 68.5 62.9 73.4
Unemployed 90 630 49 978 40 652 31.5 37.1 26.6
Total (Labour Force)
287 590 134 604 152 986 100 100 100
Rural Employed 212 631 95 833 116 798 69.2 65.1 72.9
Unemployed 94 628 51 273 43 355 30.8 34.9 27.1
Total (Labour Force) 307 259 147 106 160 153 100 100 100
The Labour Force Participation
Rate is the proportion of the
economically active population in a
given population group, i.e. the
number of economically active
persons divided by the total
population in the same population
group.
Chapter 6 Labour Force
38
6.3 Employed persons by age
Figure 6.3 Employed persons aged 15 years and above by
age group and sex, Namibia, 2001 Census
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
15
-
19
20
-
24
25
-
29
30
-
34
35
-3
9
40
-
44
45
-
49
50
-
54
55
-
59
60
-
64
65
+
N
ot
st
at
ed
Pe
rc
en
t
Female
Male
6.4 Employed persons by status in employment
Table 6.4 reveals that about 43% of all employed persons are employees in the private sector. Almost
20% of all employed persons are employed by the public sector. Less than half of them are females.
The table further reveals that slightly over 12% of all employed persons are unpaid family workers in
the subsistence/communal farming sector. These are persons, who work in the family farming
business without pay. More than half of them are females.
Own account workers without hired or paid employees make up 10% of all employed people. Close to
55% of them are females. Individual employers account for almost 6% of all employed persons. An
individual employer operates an own business with paid employees. Close to two thirds of them are
males.
Table 6.4 Employed population aged 15 years and above by status in employment and sex, Namibia,
2001 Census
Employment Status Number Percent
Total Female Male Total Female Male
Subsistence/ communal farmer (with paid employees) 8 641 2 425 6 216 2.1 1.3 2.7
Subsistence/communal farmer (without paid employees) 21 515 11 547 9 968 5.3 6.4 4.4
Other employer (with paid employees) 14 924 5 670 9 254 3.6 3.1 4.0
Other own account worker (without paid employees) 20 362 11 344 9 018 5.0 6.3 3.9
Employee (Government/parastatal) 76 941 34 634 42 307 18.8 19.2 18.5
Employee (private) 174 972 64 493 110 479 42.7 35.7 48.2
Unpaid family worker (subsistence/communal farmer) 50 671 28 819 21 852 12.4 16.0 9.5
Other unpaid family worker 18 440 10 919 7 521 4.5 6.1 3.3
Other 1 896 941 955 0.5 0.5 0.4
Not stated 21 229 9 667 11 562 5.2 5.4 5.0
Total 409 591 1 80 459 229 132 100 100 100
Figure 6.3 indicates a similar shape
over the employed population by
age for both sexes. The proportion
is slightly higher for males in older
ages.
Chapter 6 Labour Force
39
Figure 6.4 Subsistence agricultural workers rate, Namibia, 2001 Census
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Namibia
Urban
Rural
Caprivi
Erongo
Hardap
Karas
Kavango
Khomas
Kunene
Ohangwena
Omaheke
Omusati
Oshana
Oshikoto
Otjozondjupa
6.5 Employed persons by occupation
From Table 6.5 it can be observed that the largest occupational group is elementary occupations,
which include labourers and other unskilled occupations, and constitute 26% of all employed persons.
There are no significant differences between females and males. The second largest occupational
group by size is skilled agricultural and fishery service workers, who make up 17 percent. More than
half of them are males. The third group is service, shop and market related sales workers with 16%, of
whom about 55 percent are females. Professionals together with associate professionals make up
slightly more than 7% of all employed persons. Females slightly outnumber males in this
occupational category.
Other occupations that are predominantly male-dominated are armed forces, legislators, senior
officials and managers, craft and related trade workers and machine and plant operators.
Table 6.5 Employed population aged 15 years and above by occupation and sex, Namibia,
2001Census
Occupation Number Percent
Total Female Male Total Female Male
Armed forces 4 380 691 3 689 1.1 0.4 1.6
Legislators, senior officials and managers 11 670 3 956 7 714 2.8 2.2 3.4
Professionals 30 749 16 658 14 091 7.5 9.2 6.1
Technicians and associate professionals 20 809 10 606 10 203 5.1 5.9 4.5
Clerks 22 207 15 583 6 624 5.4 8.6 2.9
Service workers and shop and market sales
workers
65 472 35 804 29 668 16.0 19.8 12.9
Skilled agricultural and fishery workers 68 882 29 300 39 582 16.8 16.2 17.3
Craft and related trades workers 57 477 11 115 46 362 14.0 6.2 20.2
Plant and machine operators and assemblers 15 346 1 126 14 220 3.7 0.6 6.2
Elementary occupations 107 998 53 413 54 585 26.4 29.6 23.8
Not stated 4 601 2 207 2 394 1.1 1.2 1.0
Total 409 591 180 459 229 132 100 100 100
The subsistence agricultural
workers rate is the
proportion of employed
persons in subsistence
agriculture. Except for
Oshana, the rest of the
northern regions have
relatively high rates (over
40%). In particular, the
subsistence agricultural rate
in Ohangwena region is
exceptionally high.
Chapter 6 Labour Force
40
6.6 Employed persons by industry
The distribution of employed persons aged 15 years and above by industry is presented in Table 6.6.
The Private and Public Services industry alone employs about 233 800 people, which is more than half
of all employed people. Around 70% of all employed females work in this sector. The agricultural
industry employs about 25% of all employed persons. This is also the second largest industry for
females, with about 20% of them, followed by manufacturing with about 5%. The industrial sector of
manufacturing, mining and quarrying, electricity, gas, water supply and construction is heavily male
dominated.
Table 6.6 Employed Population aged 15 years and above by industry and sex,
Namibia, 2001 Census
Industry Number Percent
Total Female Male Total Female Male
Agriculture, hunting, forestry, fishing 102 439 37 327 65 112 25.0 20.7 28.4
Manufacturing including mining and
quarrying, Electricity, gas, water supply
and construction
50 474 9 235 41 239 12.3 5.1 18.0
Wholesale and retail trade 17 788 6 244 11 544 4.3 3.5 5.0
Private and Public Services* 233 842 125 281 108 561 57.1 69.4 47.4
Not stated 5 048 2 372 2 676 1.2 1.3 1.2
Total 409 591 180 459 229 132 100 100 100
Note: * Private and Public Services include: Hotels and restaurants; Transport, storage and
communications; Financial intermediation; Real estate, renting and business activities; Public
administration and defence; Education; Health and social work; Other community, social and
personal service activities; Private household; and Extra-territorial organisations and bodies.
6.7 Employed persons by educational attainment
Table 6.7 shows that about 1 out of 5 employed persons, aged 15 years and above, did not complete
primary education and about 1 out of 3 had only completed primary education. Only 8% of the
employed population had completed tertiary education.
Table 6.7 Employed persons aged 15 years and above by educational
attainment and sex, Namibia, 2001 Census
Educational Attainment Number Percent
Total Female Male Total Female Male
Incomplete Primary School 90 597 36 476 54 121 22.1 20.2 23.6
Primary School 139 574 65 771 73 803 34.1 36.4 32.2
Secondary School 64 598 31 074 33 524 15.8 17.2 14.6
Tertiary Level 31 974 15 597 16 377 7.8 8.6 7.1
Not stated 82 848 31 541 51 307 20.2 17.5 22.4
Total 409 591 180 459 229 132 100 100 100
Chapter 6 Labour Force
41
Figure 6.7 Dependency Rate, Namibia, 2001 Census
0 2 4 6 8 10
Namibia
Urban
Rural
Caprivi
Erongo
Hardap
Karas
Kavango
Khomas
Kunene
Ohangwena
Omaheke
Omusati
Oshana
Oshikoto
Otjozondjupa
6.8 Unemployment rate
The rate of unemployment in Namibia is 31%
Unemployment can be defined in a broad or strict sense, depending on the inclusion or exclusion
of those without a job and are available for work but are not actually seeking it. Both definitions are
consistent with the principles of the labour force framework, but selecting one or the other tends to
have a large impact on the rate of unemployment and may be quite controversial. According to
international statistical standards, the unemployed should in principle satisfy the three criteria of (i)
being without work, (ii) being available for work, and (iii) actively looking for work. This strict
definition excludes those who are not actively looking for work. The 2001 Population and Housing
Census uses the strict definition. However, in some cases, the interviewers did not probe very well to
filter out those who did not look for work. Therefore, those who are without a job, available to take up
a job and did not look for work may be included in the reported figures for the unemployed. No
information was collected, either on number of working hours or on underemployment. Collecting this
information normally requires detailed specific interviews with respondents in a labour force survey.
The data on unemployment should be used with caution.
Figure 6.8.1 Unemployment Rate (%) by age group and sex,
Namibia, 2001 Census
0.0
10.0
20.0
30.0
40.0
50.0
60.0
15
-
19
20
-
24
25
-
29
30
-
34
35
-3
9
40
-
44
45
-
49
50
-
54
55
-
59
60
-
64
65
+
N
ot
st
at
ed
T
ot
al
Age group
Pe
rc
en
t u
ne
m
pl
oy
m
en
t Female
Male
Young people, notably females,
have the highest unemployment
rates. Figure 6.8.1 indicates
significant differences over the
unemployment rate by age for
both sexes. The rate is higher for
females in all ages except for age
65 and above.
Almost 19% of all unemployed
have previously worked. To a
larger extent, younger people are
first time job seekers than older
people.
Unemployment rate is the proportion of the unemployed persons in the labour force for a given
sex/age population group, i.e. the number of unemployed persons divided by all people in the
labour force in the same sex/age population group.
Dependency rate is the ratio of
the total population to the
employed population in a given
area. Relatively high dependency
rates are found in the rural areas
as well as in the northern regions
of Ohangwena, Omusati, Oshana
and Oshikoto, Most of the
central and southern regions
have relatively low dependency
rates.
Chapter 6 Labour Force
42
Figure 6.8.2 Unemployment rates (%) by area and sex, Namibia,
2001 Census
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Namibia
Urban
Rural
Caprivi
Erongo
Hardap
Karas
Kavango
Khomas
Kunene
Ohangwena
Omaheke
Omusati
Oshana
Oshikoto
Otjozondju
Percent Unemployment
Female
Male
Table 6.8 Unemployed population aged 15 years and above by
educational attainment and sex, Namibia, 2001 Census.
Educational attainment Number Percent
Total Female Male Total Female Male
Incomplete Primary School 47 872 23 955 23 917 25.8 23.7 28.5
Primary School 79 989 47 602 32 387 43.2 47.0 38.6
Secondary School 26 447 14 764 11 683 14.3 14.6 13.9
Tertiary Level 2 991 1 593 1 398 1.6 1.6 1.7
Not stated 27 959 13 337 14 622 15.1 13.2 17.4
Total 185 258 101 251 84 007 100 100 100
6.9 Population outside labour force
7 out of 10 homemakers are females
Persons who are outside the labour force are grouped into six categories of which three are
predominant. These are homemakers, about 43%, students (35%) and old age (13%). In the
homemaker category, about 7 out of 10 persons are females. Females also significantly outnumber
males in the old age category. More males are classified as students.
Table 6.9.2 reveals that out of all economically inactive population about 36% of them have attained
primary level of education. About 31% of the homemakers have attained primary level of education.
It is worth noting that there are a few persons, about 1%, with tertiary level of education, who are
economically inactive.
Table 6.8 shows that 2 out
of 5 unemployed persons
have attained primary
level of education. More
than one out of 10
unemployed persons have
attained secondary level of
education. The proportion
of unemployed persons
with tertiary level of
education is about 2
percent.
Women in urban areas have the
highest unemployment rate.
People are normally more active
and anxious to look for
employment in urban than in
rural areas. The supply of job
opportunities is normally also
higher in urban areas. This often
results in both higher labour
force and higher unemployment
rates. Females in urban areas
and Oshikoto region have the
highest unemployment rate of
44% and 52% respectively.
Chapter 6 Labour Force
43
Table 6.9.1 Economically Inactive Population (Outside Labour Force) aged 15
years and above by activity status and sex, Namibia, 2001Census
Activity Status Number Percent
Total Female Male Not stated Total Female Male
Student 151 889 77 011 74 878 35.1 29.2 44.2
Homemaker 186 644 130 866 55 778 43.1 49.7 32.9
Income recipient 8 637 4 553 4 084 2.0 1.7 2.4
Severely/disabled 6 641 3 125 3 516 1.5 1.2 2.1
Retired 19 965 10 736 9 229 4.6 4.1 5.4
Old age 55 544 35 216 20 327 1 12.8 13.4 12.0
Other 3 563 1 921 1 642 0.8 0.7 1.0
Total 432 883 263 428 169 454 1 100 100 100
Table 6.9.2 Percent of economically inactive population (outside labour force) aged 15 years
and above by educational attainment, Namibia, 2001 Census
Educational attainment Total Student Home-
maker
Income
recipient
Severely
disabled
Retired Old age Other Not
stated
Incomplete Primary School 26.0 22.5 33.7 27.0 29.5 27.1 28.3 29.0 10.7
Primary School 36.2 67.8 31.2 29.4 19.3 23.2 9.8 28.4 9.6
Secondary School 4.6 4.7 5.4 8.8 2.8 9.4 1.5 8.5 2.8
Tertiary Level 1.5 2.3 1.1 3.2 1.1 4.4 0.7 2.4 0.6
Not stated 31.7 2.7 28.5 31.6 47.3 35.9 59.7 31.7 76.3
Total 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100
Chapter 7 Household Composition and Characteristics
44
7 Household Composition and Characteristics
The Census defines a private household as a group of people related or unrelated, who live in the same
dwelling unit and share or have common catering arrangements. A person who lives alone and caters
for himself/herself forms a one-person household. Any usual member of a household who was absent
from such a household was not counted in that household but in the household where he or she spent
the Census night. The Census separates members of private households from people in institutions,
such as hospitals or hotels. This chapter presents data on average size of households, relationship to
the head of the household, means of communication available, main language spoken at home and
main source of income.
7.1 The average household size
On the average, there are 5 persons per household in Namibia
The average household sizes by area are presented in Table 7.1. The table reflects that, for Namibia as
a whole, households are made up of 5 members. Differences exist between urban and rural areas
where the average household size for the former is about 4, while that for the latter is close to 6
persons. Likewise, there are significant differences among regions. Most of the regions in the north
have relatively larger households than those in the south. The average household size in both
Kavango and Ohangwena regions is over six members, while that for Hardap and Karas is around 4.
Erongo is the only region where the average household size is below 4 persons.
Table 7.1 Average Household size,
Namibia, 2001 Census
Namibia 5.1
Urban 4.2
Rural 5.7
Caprivi 4.7
Erongo 3.8
Hardap 4.4
Karas 4.1
Kavango 6.5
Khomas 4.2
Kunene 5.3
Ohangwena 6.3
Omaheke 5.3
Omusati 5.9
Oshana 5.4
Oshikoto 5.6
Otjozondjupa 4.6
7.2 Household composition
In order to determine the composition of a household, the relationship of members of the household to
the head of the household is taken into consideration. Table 7.2.1 below indicates that the son or
daughter relationship to the head or spouse is predominant in Namibia. Own children, i.e. daughters
and sons, account for 32 percent of all household members. Other relatives to the head/spouse make
up 19 percent, while grandchildren account for 16 percent. These last two proportions provide a good
indicator of the degree of extended family.
Tables 7.2.2 and 7.2.3 present the respective urban and rural household populations by relationship to
the head/spouse. In both urban and rural areas, children of the head/spouse are still the predominant
group with 30 and 33 percent, respectively. The proportion of other relatives to the head/spouse is
Chapter 7 Household Composition and Characteristics
45
relatively higher in urban (23%) than in the rural areas (16%). The opposite is the case for
grandchildren with only 6 percent in urban as compared to 21 percent in the rural areas.
Table 7.2.4 shows the distribution of households by area and by the sex of the head of household. It
can be observed that, for the country as a whole, there are slightly more male-headed households
(55%) than female-headed ones. The proportion of male-headed households is relatively higher in
urban (60%) than in rural (52%) areas. The sex of the household head varies significantly between the
regions. The northern regions of Ohangwena, Omusati, Oshana and Oshikoto are the only regions
where the proportion of the female household heads is 50 percent or more. Except for Caprivi, the
proportion of female-headed households in the rest of the regions is below or around 40 percent.
Table 7.2.1 Household Population by sex and relationship to head of household, Namibia,
2001 Census
Relation to Head Number Percent
Total Female Male Not stated Total Female Male
Head 346 455 154 990 191 465 19.5 16.8 22.6
Spouse 138 298 118 795 19 503 7.8 12.9 2.3
Son/Daughter of Head/Spouse 560 065 288 063 271 999 3 31.6 31.2 32.0
Son/Daughter in law of Head/Spouse 20 178 11 175 9 003 1.1 1.2 1.1
Grandchild of Head/Spouse 279 557 139 974 139 583 15.8 15.1 16.4
Parent of Head/Spouse 17 790 13 486 4 304 1.0 1.5 0.5
Other relative of Head/Spouse 327 619 163 538 164 081 18.5 17.7 19.3
Domestic worker non-relative 12 672 4 785 7 887 0.7 0.5 0.9
Other non-relative 67 585 27 931 39 653 1 3.8 3.0 4.7
Not stated 3 016 1 456 1 560 0.2 0.2 0.2
Total 1 773 235 924 193 849 038 4 100.0 100.0 100.0
Table 7.2.2 Urban Household Population by sex and relationship to head of household,
Namibia, 2001 Census
Relation to Head Number Percent
Total Female Male Not stated Total Female Male
Head 136 909 54 707 82 202 23.7 18.4 29.1
Spouse 57 321 48 376 8 945 9.9 16.3 3.2
Son/Daughter of Head/Spouse 170 635 88 083 82 552 29.5 29.7 29.3
Son/Daughter in law of Head/Spouse 7 093 3 815 3 278 1.2 1.3 1.2
Grandchild of Head/Spouse 33 935 17 001 16 934 5.9 5.7 6.0
Parent of Head/Spouse 5 057 3 787 1 270 0.9 1.3 0.5
Other relative of Head/Spouse 133 216 65 186 68 030 23.0 22.0 24.1
Domestic worker non-relative 3 055 2 386 669 0.5 0.8 0.2
Other non-relative 30 613 12 956 17 656 1 5.3 4.4 6.3
Not stated 978 456 522 0.2 0.2 0.2
Total 578 812 296 753 282 058 1 100.0 100.0 100.0
Chapter 7 Household Composition and Characteristics
46
Table 7.2.3 Rural Household Population by sex and relationship to head of household,
Namibia, 2001 Census
Relation to Head Number Percent
Total Female Male Not
stated
Total Female Male
Head 209 546 100 283 109 263 17.5 16.0 19.3
Spouse 80 977 70 419 10 558 6.8 11.2 1.9
Son/Daughter of Head/Spouse 389 430 199 980 189 447 3 32.6 31.9 33.4
Son/Daughter in law of Head/Spouse 13 085 7 360 5 725 1.1 1.2 1.0
Grandchild of Head/Spouse 245 622 122 973 122 649 20.6 19.6 21.6
Parent of Head/Spouse 12 733 9 699 3 034 1.1 1.5 0.5
Other relative of Head/Spouse 194 403 98 352 96 051 16.3 15.7 17.0
Domestic worker non-relative 9 617 2 399 7 218 0.8 0.4 1.3
Other non-relative 36 972 14 975 21 997 3.1 2.4 3.9
Not stated 2 038 1 000 1 038 0.2 0.2 0.2
Total 1 194 423 627 440 566 980 3 100.0 100.0 100.0
Table 7.2.4 Distribution of households by area and sex of the head
of household, Namibia, 2001 Census
Area Total
number of
households
Number of house-
holds headed by
Percent of house-
holds headed by
Females Males Females Males
Namibia 346 455 154 990 191 465 44.7 55.3
Urban 136 909 54 707 82 202 40.0 60.0
Rural 209 546 100 283 109 263 47.9 52.1
Caprivi 16 839 8 183 8 656 48.6 51.4
Erongo 27 496 9 506 17 990 34.6 65.4
Hardap 15 039 5 180 9 859 34.4 65.6
Karas 15 481 5 492 9 989 35.5 64.5
Kavango 30 467 12 427 18 040 40.8 59.2
Khomas 58 580 21 292 37 288 36.3 63.7
Kunene 12 489 5 011 7 478 40.1 59.9
Ohangwena 35 958 21 476 14 482 59.7 40.3
Omaheke 12 590 4 135 8 455 32.8 67.2
Omusati 38 202 23 695 14 507 62.0 38.0
Oshana 29 557 15 975 13 582 54.0 46.0
Oshikoto 28 419 14 216 14 203 50.0 50.0
Otjozondjupa 25 338 8 402 16 936 33.2 66.8
7.3 Access to means of communication
The Census asked all households about accessibility to selected services/facilities. These included
television, radio, newspapers, telephone and computer. Distinction should be made between ownership
and accessibility. A household may have access to such a facility/service without necessarily claiming
its ownership. Figure 7.3 below presents a picture of the diversity of access to these communication
facilities. Table 7.3 presents the regional situation with regard to accessibility of these facilities. Both
the figure and the table reveal that the radio is accessible to 80% of all households in the country. The
computer is the least accessible, with about 7% of the households having access to it.
Chapter 7 Household Composition and Characteristics
47
Figure 7.3 Percent of households with access to selected facilities, Namibia, 2001 Census
0
20
40
60
80
100
TV Radio Newspaper
daily
Newspaper
occasionally
Telephone Computer
Pe
rc
en
t
Table 7.3 Percent of households with access to selected facilities by area,
Namibia, 2001 Census
Area Number
of
house-
holds
Percent with access to
TV Radio Newspaper
daily
Newspaper
occasionally
Tele-
phone
Com-
puter
Namibia 346 455 36.5 79.7 18.0 45.5 38.6 7.2
Urban 136 909 66.4 84.5 34.6 74.1 63.6 18.2
Rural 209 546 17.0 76.6 7.2 26.9 22.3 2.0
Caprivi 16 839 43.4 84.9 13.9 44.7 25.3 3.5
Erongo 27 496 68.5 89.2 39.0 75.4 72.5 24.4
Hardap 15 039 42.1 76.8 15.1 46.3 58.1 6.3
Karas 15 481 50.6 81.2 18.5 55.2 66.1 13.8
Kavango 30 467 26.5 78.5 5.1 22.4 24.2 4.1
Khomas 58 580 64.2 82.9 35.7 75.5 61.3 20.8
Kunene 12 489 20.9 72.3 3.0 20.0 24.5 2.7
Ohangwena 35 958 10.2 72.3 7.5 27.4 12.9 0.8
Omaheke 12 590 29.0 76.7 9.3 27.2 39.2 5.5
Omusati 38 202 11.2 74.9 9.9 30.4 16.5 1.1
Oshana 29 557 36.5 83.9 23.6 57.2 42.0 4.9
Oshikoto 28 419 17.6 79.0 10.6 30.7 17.1 2.1
Otjozondjupa 25 338 41.2 79.9 14.9 38.7 43.5 5.9
There are significant differences between urban and rural areas in terms of access to these
facilities/services. Urban households are relatively better off than the rural ones in terms of access to
the facilities under consideration. For example, the television is accessible to 66% of the households
in urban areas as compared to only 17% in the rural areas. The telephone is accessible to 64% as
against 22% in urban and rural areas respectively.
Significant differences also exist between the regions with regard to accessibility to the
facilities/services under consideration. The regions with relatively large proportions of urban
population are better off than those which are predominantly rural. The regions belonging to the
former are Erongo, Karas, Khomas and Otjozondjupa. Those belonging to the latter group are located
mainly in the north.
7.4 Main language spoken in the household
The Census included a question on language usually spoken or most spoken at home. This should not
be confused with languages in which people are literate. The former refers to the language which
household members mostly use to communicate to each other while at home. Table 7.4 indicates the
distribution of households by main language spoken. Oshiwambo is the most spoken language at home
in the country, with 49% of the households communicating in it. Nama/Damara and Afrikaans are the
next two languages spoken at home, each with slightly over 11 percent of the households.
Chapter 7 Household Composition and Characteristics
48
Table 7.4 Distribution of households by
main language spoken,
Namibia, 2001 Census
Main language Number of
households
Percent
San 4 229 1.2
Caprivi 17 493 5.0
Otjiherero 27 374 7.9
Kavango 33 741 9.7
Nama/Damara 39 717 11.5
Oshiwambo 167 943 48.5
Tswana 1 051 0.3
Afrikaans 39 481 11.4
German 3 654 1.1
English 6 522 1.9
Other European 1 790 0.5
Other African 1 447 0.4
Not stated 2 013 0.6
Total 346 455 100.0
7.5 Main source of household income
The Census asked all households their main source of income. It should be noted that households
usually rely on various sources of income. However, they were asked to state only the main source.
Table 7.5 below presents the distribution of households by their main source of income. It can be seen
that wages and salaries is the leading main source of income in the country with around 41% of the
households having reported so. Farming is the second main source of income with about 29% of the
households relying on it.
Significant differences exist between urban and rural areas. Whereas about 70% of the households in
urban areas reported wages and salaries as their main source of income, the corresponding percentage
for the rural areas was only 23. Farming was the main source of income for the rural areas (46%) as
against 2 percent in the urban ones.
Predominantly more households in central and southern regions of Namibia such as Khomas, Erongo,
Hardap and Karas reported wages and salaries as their main source of income. On the other hand, a
significant proportion of the households in the northern regions reported farming as the main source of
income.
Chapter 7 Household Composition and Characteristics
49
Table 7.5 Percent distribution of households by main source of income, Namibia,
2001 Census
Area Number of
households
Percent
Farming Business
activities,
non-
farming
Wages
and
salaries
Pension Cash
remit-
tance
Other Not
stated
Namibia 346 455 28.6 9.5 41.4 11.0 6.2 2.1 1.3
Urban 136 909 1.9 12.0 69.7 5.4 7.2 2.5 1.4
Rural 209 546 46.0 7.8 23.0 14.6 5.5 1.8 1.3
Caprivi 16 839 27.6 23.4 29.7 9.0 8.2 1.2 0.9
Erongo 27 496 3.9 7.9 66.6 9.6 8.0 2.8 1.3
Hardap 15 039 8.5 4.8 61.4 15.2 6.7 2.2 1.2
Karas 15 481 7.2 4.5 68.6 10.2 6.2 2.0 1.3
Kavango 30 467 51.9 14.1 20.6 5.0 4.3 2.9 1.1
Khomas 58 580 1.4 11.0 74.2 3.5 6.5 2.1 1.3
Kunene 12 489 35.4 6.9 37.4 10.1 7.2 1.5 1.5
Ohangwena 35 958 51.7 7.5 13.0 20.4 4.7 1.3 1.3
Omaheke 12 590 28.3 6.3 45.0 9.0 7.4 2.7 1.3
Omusati 38 202 45.5 7.5 16.0 22.0 6.1 1.9 1.1
Oshana 29 557 35.8 12.5 32.3 11.5 5.2 1.5 1.2
Oshikoto 28 419 56.3 6.1 20.6 10.6 3.2 1.5 1.7
Otjozondjupa 25 338 14.6 7.6 55.2 7.2 9.6 3.6 2.2
Chapter 8 Housing Conditions
50
8 Housing Conditions
The Census asked all households questions on housing characteristics. These included type of housing
units, tenure, materials used for constructions, and source of energy for cooking, lighting and heating.
8.1 Type of housing unit
Nine types of housing units were identified. These are: detached house, semi-detached/townhouse,
apartment/flat, guest flat, part commercial/industrial, mobile home (caravan or tent), single quarters,
traditional dwelling, and improvised house (shack). The types of housing units are defined in
Appendix 1.
Table 8.1 shows that traditional dwellings and semi-detached houses are predominant in Namibia with
each occupied by 2 out of 5 households. Close to one out of 10 households live in improvised
dwellings.
In urban areas, detached and semi-detached dwellings make up 67% as against 25% in rural areas. On
the other hand, traditional dwellings are the most common in rural areas constituting for 66% of the
households. Improvised housing units (shacks) are the second most common dwellings in urban areas
with 18% of households. The correspondent percentage in rural areas is only 4.
At regional level, traditional dwellings dominate in northern regions of Caprivi (74%), Kavango
(64%), Ohangwena (90 %), Omusati (82 %), Oshana (51%) and Oshikoto (75%). The opposite is the
case for the central and southern regions where semi-detached houses are the most common.
Table 8.1 Percent distribution of households by type of housing unit,
Namibia, 2001 Census
Area Number of
households
Percent
Detached,
semi-
detached
house
Flat Traditional
dwelling
Improvised
housing unit
(shack)
Other Not
stated
Namibia 346 455 41.1 3.3 41.5 9.2 4.3 0.6
Urban 136 909 66.6 6.2 3.4 17.6 5.6 0.5
Rural 209 546 24.5 1.4 66.4 3.7 3.4 0.6
Caprivi 16 839 20.3 2.2 73.5 1.4 2.3 0.3
Erongo 27 496 62.6 6.1 4.3 21.0 5.8 0.2
Hardap 15 039 75.2 3.7 0.9 16.5 3.2 0.5
Karas 15 481 65.0 5.8 7.3 13.7 7.7 0.5
Kavango 30 467 30.4 0.9 64.1 1.9 2.3 0.5
Khomas 58 580 63.0 7.0 0.6 24.3 4.6 0.5
Kunene 12 489 54.2 1.6 34.4 3.2 5.8 0.8
Ohangwena 35 958 4.4 1.2 90.2 1.2 2.2 0.8
Omaheke 12 590 65.4 2.7 12.8 11.4 7.0 0.6
Omusati 38 202 13.9 1.1 81.6 0.6 2.4 0.4
Oshana 29 557 38.0 3.6 50.5 2.0 5.1 0.7
Oshikoto 28 419 16.8 1.5 75.0 2.2 3.8 0.6
Otjozondjupa 25 338 65.0 2.8 13.1 10.9 7.1 1.0
8.2 Type of tenure
Information on tenure is presented in Table 8.2. Most of the housing units (60%) in the country are
occupied by owners, without any mortgage. This phenomenon is more common in rural areas (88%)
than in urban ones (35%). Housing units occupied by owners with mortgage are found mainly in
urban areas (31%). Likewise, households which reside in rented dwellings not tied to their jobs are
found mainly in the urban areas. About 10 percent of the households live in dwellings provided by
employers.
Chapter 8 Housing Conditions
51
Table 8.2 Percent distribution of households by type of Tenure, Namibia, 2001
Census
Area Number
of house-
holds
Percent
Rented,
not tied
to the
job
Owner
occupied
(with
mortgage)
Owner
occupied
(without
mortgage)
Rent free
(not
owner
occupied)
Provided
by
employer
Other Not
stated
Namibia 346 455 8.6 16.0 60.2 4.1 9.8 0.6 0.6
Urban 136 909 19.1 31.3 35.2 4.7 8.5 0.5 0.7
Rural 209 546 1.7 6.0 76.6 3.8 10.7 0.6 0.6
Caprivi 16 839 3.9 10.8 77.6 3.6 3.7 0.3 0.2
Erongo 27 496 22.8 27.5 31.5 5.7 11.1 0.9 0.5
Hardap 15 039 8.5 15.4 44.3 6.8 24.2 0.2 0.5
Karas 15 481 13.1 15.9 41.6 4.2 23.8 0.8 0.7
Kavango 30 467 2.1 7.1 83.7 2.5 3.3 0.9 0.4
Khomas 58 580 17.1 36.4 33.2 3.9 8.3 0.5 0.7
Kunene 12 489 6.6 7.9 63.4 3.6 17.3 0.4 0.7
Ohangwena 35 958 1.4 6.0 86.8 2.0 2.8 0.2 0.8
Omaheke 12 590 3.5 10.6 51.8 6.6 26.1 0.7 0.7
Omusati 38 202 1.6 6.3 84.6 3.9 2.8 0.5 0.4
Oshana 29 557 5.5 11.5 71.9 4.5 5.4 0.4 0.8
Oshikoto 28 419 4.7 9.0 74.7 3.9 6.5 0.6 0.5
Otjozondjupa 25 338 13.8 20.1 33.2 6.2 24.7 1.0 1.1
8.3 Average number of persons per room
Households were asked to give information on the number of rooms in their housing units. Rooms
include all the rooms used for sleeping and exclude places such as kitchens, bathrooms, toilets, stoeps
and verandas. The average number of persons per room is shown in Table 8.3 below.
Table 8.3 Average number of persons per
room, Namibia, 2001 Census
Area Average number
of persons per
room
Namibia 1.5
Urban 1.6
Rural 1.4
Caprivi 2.7
Erongo 1.7
Hardap 1.7
Karas 1.8
Kavango 2.1
Khomas 1.5
Kunene 2.1
Ohangwena 1.1
Omaheke 2.5
Omusati 1.1
Oshana 1.3
Oshikoto 1.1
Otjozondjupa 1.9
The average number of persons per room provides
an indicator of the extent of overcrowding, which
can lead to the spread of contagious diseases
among the members of the household.
The country has an average of about 2 persons per
room. The number of persons per room is slightly
higher in urban than in rural areas. The Caprivi
Region has the highest number of persons per
room, close to 3 persons, while Ohangwena,
Omusati and Oshikoto have the lowest rate of 1
person per room.
Chapter 8 Housing Conditions
52
8.4 Materials used for construction
Information on the main materials used for construction of roofs, walls and floors are given in Tables
8.4.1 to 8.4.3. It can be seen from Table 8.4.1 that the most commonly used material for roofing in the
country are corrugated iron sheets where more than half of the households reside in dwellings with
such roofs. This proportion is even higher in urban (close to 8 out of ten) than in rural areas (about
one third). Households that live in dwellings whose roofing material is thatch/grass, constitute 36%
of all households in the country. This percentage is far more higher in rural (58%) than in urban (2%)
areas.
At regional level, dwellings with corrugated iron sheets predominate in Hardap, Karas, Khomas,
Kunene, Omaheke and Otjozondjupa. Dwellings whose roofs are constructed from thatched grass are
most commonly found in Caprivi, Kavango, Ohangwena, Omusati and Oshikoto. In Erongo region, 2
out of 5 dwellings have roofs covered with asbestos sheets.
With respect to materials used for the floor in the whole country, cement is the most common material.
Table 8.4.2 shows that about 44 percent of the households occupy dwellings with this type of floor.
This proportion is even higher in urban areas (72%) as compared to the rural ones (27%). Dwellings
with sand and mud/clay floors are the most predominant in the rural areas.
There are significant differences within the regions. Dwellings with cement floors predominate in the
central and southern regions while floors constructed from sand and mud/clay are the most common
for dwellings in the northern regions.
Table 8.4.1 Percent distribution of households by main material used for roof, Namibia, 2001
Census
Area Number
of house-
holds
Percent
Corrugated
iron sheets
Asbestos
sheets
Brick
tiles
Slate Wood Thatch,
grass
Sticks, mud
and cow
dung
Other Not
stated
Namibia 346 455 51.9 5.2 0.7 0.7 2.4 35.9 1.2 1.4 0.5
Urban 136 909 77.6 11.7 1.2 1.0 3.4 2.0 0.5 2.1 0.5
Rural 209 546 35.0 0.9 0.4 0.5 1.8 58.1 1.7 1.0 0.6
Caprivi 16 839 34.9 0.5 0.6 0.2 0.9 59.8 2.2 0.5 0.4
Erongo 27 496 29.8 40.0 2.3 1.7 15.5 0.5 0.3 9.4 0.4
Hardap 15 039 94.4 2.8 0.3 0.5 0.3 0.3 0.1 0.7 0.4
Karas 15 481 73.8 16.8 0.8 0.7 0.8 3.9 1.0 1.7 0.4
Kavango 30 467 21.8 0.6 0.4 0.3 2.2 71.5 1.5 1.0 0.6
Khomas 58 580 91.7 3.3 1.1 1.2 0.5 0.5 0.6 0.5 0.5
Kunene 12 489 70.9 1.7 0.2 0.4 0.6 14.7 9.5 1.3 0.8
Ohangwena 35 958 11.2 0.4 0.5 0.2 2.8 82.8 0.8 0.7 0.7
Omaheke 12 590 92.2 1.4 0.6 1.2 0.6 1.4 0.8 1.4 0.5
Omusati 38 202 23.0 0.4 0.6 0.4 2.0 71.8 1.0 0.4 0.4
Oshana 29 557 54.4 0.8 0.4 0.4 1.3 41.0 0.7 0.6 0.5
Oshikoto 28 419 29.2 0.6 0.3 0.4 1.3 66.7 0.5 0.4 0.5
Otjozondjupa 25 338 86.7 2.6 0.4 1.4 0.3 5.2 1.4 1.0 0.9
Chapter 8 Housing Conditions
53
Table 8.4.2 Percent distribution of households by main
material used for the floor, Namibia, 2001 Census
Area Number
of house-
holds
Percent
Sand Cement Mud/
Clay
Other Not
stated
Namibia 346 455 31.2 44.5 21.7 1.8 0.8
Urban 136 909 20.9 71.9 3.6 2.8 0.7
Rural 209 546 37.9 26.7 33.5 1.1 0.8
Caprivi 16 839 9.3 21.1 68.6 0.5 0.6
Erongo 27 496 20.7 73.8 1.5 3.5 0.5
Hardap 15 039 22.7 73.6 1.6 1.4 0.7
Karas 15 481 19.4 72.2 1.3 6.5 0.5
Kavango 30 467 36.6 14.5 47.1 1.1 0.8
Khomas 58 580 23.3 72.0 1.4 2.6 0.7
Kunene 12 489 22.0 44.3 28.0 4.5 1.2
Ohangwena 35 958 33.9 11.1 53.5 0.5 1.0
Omaheke 12 590 25.1 66.6 5.7 2.1 0.5
Omusati 38 202 44.7 21.0 32.7 0.9 0.8
Oshana 29 557 44.8 40.8 13.0 0.7 0.7
Oshikoto 28 419 51.7 24.1 23.0 0.5 0.8
Otjozondjupa 25 338 25.5 66.3 5.7 1.5 1.1
With regard to materials used for the construction of walls, cement blocks/bricks and wooden poles,
sticks and grass predominate in the country. Close to 40% of households live in dwellings with walls
made of cement blocks/bricks, while 21% reside in dwellings with walls made of wooden poles, sticks
and grass. In urban areas, cement blocks/bricks (66%) and corrugated iron sheets (21%) predominate.
On the other hand, in rural areas wooden poles, sticks and grass (33%) seem to be the most common.
Walls constructed from cement blocks/bricks predominate in the central and the southern regions.
Dwellings with walls constructed from sticks, mud and cow dung are most commonly found in
Caprivi and Kunene regions. Dwellings with walls constructed from wooden poles, sticks and grass
are common in the regions of Kavango, Omusati, Oshana and Oshikoto.
Chapter 8 Housing Conditions
54
Table 8.4.3 Percent distribution of households by main material used for the walls, Namibia, 2001 Census
Area Number
of
house-
holds
Percent
Cement
blocks/
bricks
Burnt
bricks/
Face
bricks
Mud/
Clay
bricks
Corru-
gated
iron
sheets
Pre-
fabri-
cated
material
Wooden
poles,
sticks and
grass
Sticks,
mud and
cow-
dung
Other Not
stated
Namibia 346 455 37.9 0.8 14.0 14.8 1.6 20.8 7.9 1.7 0.6
Urban 136 909 65.9 0.8 2.8 21.3 2.7 2.5 1.6 1.9 0.5
Rural 209 546 19.6 0.8 21.3 10.6 0.8 32.8 12.0 1.5 0.6
Caprivi 16 839 15.3 0.5 29.2 1.2 0.5 7.9 44.7 0.4 0.3
Erongo 27 496 63.7 1.2 1.2 9.1 7.6 6.4 2.3 7.9 0.4
Hardap 15 039 62.5 1.0 0.9 31.9 1.3 0.5 0.2 1.4 0.4
Karas 15 481 60.4 0.8 1.0 26.8 1.1 6.4 0.9 2.3 0.4
Kavango 30 467 9.1 0.7 25.9 3.1 0.9 34.9 22.1 2.7 0.6
Khomas 58 580 68.1 0.8 0.3 26.6 1.5 0.9 0.5 0.7 0.5
Kunene 12 489 33.9 0.8 3.0 12.0 1.3 4.2 42.4 1.7 0.8
Ohangwena 35 958 8.9 0.8 48.3 3.4 0.6 34.1 2.4 0.8 0.8
Omaheke 12 590 43.2 1.0 2.1 35.1 2.4 1.3 12.4 1.9 0.6
Omusati 38 202 18.5 0.9 29.0 4.2 0.4 43.3 2.8 0.5 0.4
Oshana 29 557 34.6 0.5 8.6 18.2 0.8 34.8 1.3 0.8 0.5
Oshikoto 28 419 19.1 0.5 9.4 7.2 0.9 57.3 3.8 1.2 0.5
Otjozondjupa 25 338 55.8 1.1 2.6 27.1 1.5 3.0 6.9 1.0 0.9
8.5 Source of energy used for cooking, lighting and heating
Tables 8.5.1 to 8.5.3 present the percent distribution of households by sources of energy for cooking,
lighting and heating. Table 8.5.1 indicates that over 3 out of 5 households in Namibia rely on wood
and charcoal from wood for cooking. This proportion is even higher in rural areas (close to 9 out of
10) than in urban ones (only 1 out of 5). More than half of the households (56%) in urban areas rely
on electricity for cooking.
Close to two thirds of the households in Erongo and Khomas regions use electricity for cooking. Most
of the households in the rest of the regions use mainly wood and charcoal from wood for cooking
purposes.
With regard to main source of energy used for lighting, both electricity and the candle are quite
common in the country as a whole. Two thirds of the households utilise these two sources. On the
other hand, two thirds of the households in the urban areas use electricity as against less than 10
percent in the rural areas. Most rural households rely on the candle (41%), paraffin (24%) and wood
(22%) for lighting purposes.
Most of the households in central and southern regions use electricity for lighting, while the northern
regions rely on paraffin, candle and wood for the same purpose.
Table 8.5.3 shows that about one third of the households in the country do not heat their dwellings.
This is more pronounced in the rural (41%) than in the urban (30%) areas. More than 2 out of 5
households use wood and charcoal from wood for heating purposes. Again, relatively more
households (3 out of 5) in the rural areas make use of this source than those in the urban areas (11%).
Electricity for heating is used mainly in urban areas where 42% of households utilise this energy
source.
With regard to the regions, Erongo and Khomas rely heavily on electricity for heating purposes where
over 40 percent of the households make use of it. Most of the households in the regions of Kavango,
Ohangwena, Omusati and Oshikoto rely heavily on wood and charcoal from wood for heating
purposes with more than 60 percent of them using this energy source. More than half of the
households in Caprivi and Kunene regions do not heat their dwellings.
Chapter 8 Housing Conditions
55
Table 8.5.1 Households by source of energy for cooking, Namibia, 2001 Census
Area Number
of house-
holds
Percent
Electricity Paraffin Wood/
Charcoal
from
wood
Gas Char-
coal-
coal
Solar No
cooking
Other Not
stated
Namibia 346 455 24.9 4.9 61.6 6.4 0.6 0.2 0.4 0.5 0.4
Urban 136 909 56.1 10.4 19.6 12.4 0.3 0.1 0.6 0.1 0.4
Rural 209 546 4.5 1.4 89.1 2.6 0.8 0.2 0.3 0.8 0.4
Caprivi 16 839 6.1 1.1 89.2 2.3 0.6 0.1 0.4 0.2 0.1
Erongo 27 496 67.4 3.9 19.6 7.8 0.3 0.1 0.6 0.1 0.2
Hardap 15 039 34.9 0.9 53.0 9.4 0.7 0.2 0.3 0.1 0.4
Karas 15 481 26.7 6.5 34.5 30.9 0.3 0.1 0.5 0.2 0.3
Kavango 30 467 4.9 0.9 89.3 3.1 0.8 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.4
Khomas 58 580 65.7 17.1 8.8 6.8 0.2 0.3 0.6 0.1 0.4
Kunene 12 489 9.8 1.7 81.2 4.9 1.0 0.2 0.4 0.3 0.5
Ohangwena 35 958 2.2 1.3 93.7 0.8 0.7 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.5
Omaheke 12 590 14.0 1.5 75.7 7.0 0.7 0.1 0.4 0.2 0.5
Omusati 38 202 2.0 1.3 93.1 1.4 0.7 0.3 0.2 0.8 0.3
Oshana 29 557 10.6 7.2 65.8 11.8 0.5 0.2 0.4 3.2 0.4
Oshikoto 28 419 9.1 1.0 84.0 3.4 0.8 0.4 0.2 0.6 0.4
Otjozondjupa 25 338 27.5 2.6 60.1 7.6 0.8 0.1 0.3 0.2 0.8
Table 8.5.2 Households by source of energy for lighting, Namibia, 2001 Census
Area Number
of house-
holds
Percent
Electricity Paraffin Candle Gas Solar Wood Other Not
stated
Namibia 346 455 32.4 17.1 34.6 0.4 0.7 13.3 1.0 0.5
Urban 136 909 67.6 6.5 23.9 0.5 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.4
Rural 209 546 9.5 24.1 41.5 0.3 0.9 21.8 1.4 0.5
Caprivi 16 839 20.7 6.6 69.3 0.2 1.2 1.5 0.4 0.2
Erongo 27 496 72.5 12.9 12.7 0.5 0.5 0.2 0.5 0.2
Hardap 15 039 51.4 13.7 32.4 0.3 1.0 0.4 0.5 0.5
Karas 15 481 49.8 16.8 30.8 0.4 1.1 0.3 0.4 0.4
Kavango 30 467 11.1 1.2 61.4 0.2 0.7 24.4 0.6 0.4
Khomas 58 580 69.3 7.7 20.7 0.6 0.3 0.3 0.6 0.4
Kunene 12 489 22.0 32.8 22.5 0.2 0.8 20.0 1.1 0.7
Ohangwena 35 958 3.9 19.3 39.4 0.2 0.6 34.8 1.1 0.7
Omaheke 12 590 27.5 35.5 31.9 0.4 1.1 1.5 1.7 0.5
Omusati 38 202 3.9 29.2 31.5 0.3 0.7 31.6 2.4 0.4
Oshana 29 557 19.4 24.8 45.9 0.5 0.8 6.8 1.4 0.4
Oshikoto 28 419 14.5 20.3 34.0 0.4 0.6 28.8 1.0 0.4
Otjozondjupa 25 338 42.0 21.4 31.1 0.4 0.8 3.0 0.7 0.8
Chapter 8 Housing Conditions
56
Table 8.5.3 Households by source of energy for heating, Namibia, 2001 Census
Area Number
of house-
holds
Percent
Electricity Paraffin Wood/
Charcoal
from
wood
Gas Char-
coal-
coal
Solar No
heating
Other Not
stated
Namibia 346 455 18.8 2.3 41.5 0.9 0.6 0.4 34.2 0.6 0.7
Urban 136 909 41.6 2.9 11.3 1.6 0.3 0.4 40.9 0.3 0.8
Rural 209 546 3.8 2.0 61.3 0.5 0.8 0.4 29.8 0.8 0.7
Caprivi 16 839 4.4 0.8 36.1 0.2 0.4 0.2 56.6 0.5 0.9
Erongo 27 496 45.3 1.8 7.7 1.1 0.3 0.5 42.3 0.6 0.5
Hardap 15 039 20.8 0.7 26.4 0.7 0.9 0.3 49.2 0.2 0.8
Karas 15 481 25.1 1.9 24.9 1.8 0.6 0.2 44.8 0.1 0.5
Kavango 30 467 4.5 0.7 69.4 0.2 1.0 0.4 22.6 0.3 0.9
Khomas 58 580 49.7 4.1 8.2 1.3 0.2 0.5 35.2 0.2 0.7
Kunene 12 489 5.2 1.4 36.9 0.5 0.7 0.3 53.6 0.2 1.1
Ohangwena 35 958 2.0 1.6 69.0 0.3 0.7 0.3 24.8 0.7 0.7
Omaheke 12 590 12.3 2.0 38.0 1.3 1.1 0.4 43.5 0.5 0.8
Omusati 38 202 1.8 2.5 69.7 0.5 0.6 0.4 23.3 0.8 0.4
Oshana 29 557 9.4 4.2 42.1 2.4 0.5 0.3 38.4 2.0 0.8
Oshikoto 28 419 8.0 2.0 65.7 0.8 0.7 0.4 21.2 0.6 0.6
Otjozondjupa 25 338 22.4 2.6 39.1 1.0 1.0 0.5 32.0 0.4 1.2
Chapter 9 Water Supply and Sanitation
57
9 Water Supply and Sanitation
This chapter covers household sources of drinking and cooking water as well as the distance to the
source; type of toilet facilities; and how garbage/refuse is disposed off. Inadequate sanitation and lack
of safe water for drinking and cooking create conducive environment for the spread of infectious and
parasitic diseases, and are therefore a public health concern. Each household was asked to state the
main source of water for drinking and cooking and also the one way walking distance to the water
source. Likewise, information on the main type of toilet facility used by the household was collected,
as well as the main means used by the household to dispose garbage/refuse.
9.1 Type of water supply
87% of all households in Namibia have access to safe water
The percent distribution of households by source of water for drinking and cooking is shown in Figure
9.1as well as in Table 9.1.1 for the country, urban and rural areas and regions. More than half of the
households have piped water within their compounds, while about another 35% of them get their water
from public pipes and boreholes. Urban households are relatively better off than the rural ones with
regard to the availability of piped water within their compounds. On the other hand, the rural areas
have a relatively higher proportion of households with access to public piped water as well as
boreholes. However, one out of ten households in the rural areas depend on natural sources of water,
i.e. river, stream, etc. for drinking and cooking.
Some regions are relatively better off than others in terms of water source for drinking and cooking.
Most of the households in the central and southern regions have piped water within their compounds.
On the other hand, most households in the northern regions rely more on public pipes and boreholes.
It is worth noting that 3 out of 10 households in Kavango region get their water from the natural
sources, i.e. rivers and streams.
For public health purposes, water from pipes and boreholes, except those with open tanks, is regarded
as safe for drinking and cooking. On this basis, it can be seen from the table that almost 9 out of 10
households in the country have access to safe drinking water. Urban households (98%) are much
better off than the rural ones (80%).
Over 90 percent of the households in the central and southern regions have access to safe water, while
households in some of the regions in the northern part of the country are relatively worse off. The
regions which are relatively worse off are Kavango, Kunene and Ohangwena.
Accessibility to water source is not complete without consideration of the distance to the source. The
analysis on distance to the source undertaken here does not distinguish between safe and unsafe water
source. Table 9.1.2 presents the percent distribution of households by distance to the water source.
For the country as a whole, 54 percent of the households have water within their premises. Another 21
percent get their water within a distance of 200 metres. However, almost 1 out of 10 households have
to cover more than one kilometre to fetch water. Urban households are relatively better off than the
rural ones. In the former, four out of five households have water within their premises as against just
over one out of three in the latter case. In the urban areas less than 1% cover more than one kilometre
to fetch water as against 15% for the rural areas.
There is distinct pattern for distance to water source in the regions. Most of the households in the
central and southern regions have water within their premises. Significant proportions of the
households in the northern region have to cover long distances to fetch water. This is particularly so
in Kavango, Ohangwena, Omusati and Oshikoto.
Chapter 9 Water Supply and Sanitation
58
Figure 9.1 Percent of households with safe drinking water by area,
Namibia, 2001 Census
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Namibia
Urban
Rural
Caprivi
Erongo
Hardap
Karas
Kavango
Khomas
Kunene
Ohangwena
Omaheke
Omusati
Oshana
Oshikoto
Otjozondjupa
Percent of households with safe drinking water
Table 9.1.1 Percent of households by source of water, Namibia, 2001 Census
Area Number
of house-
holds
Percent
Piped
water
within
Public
Pipe
Safe
bore-
hole
Safe
water
River/
Stream/
Dam/
Canal
Other Not
stated
Namibia 346 455 52.7 27.9 6.6 87.2 6.6 5.3 0.8
Urban 136 909 78.2 19.6 0.6 98.4 0.5 0.3 0.8
Rural 209 546 36.1 33.3 10.6 79.9 10.6 8.6 0.8
Caprivi 16 839 26.8 29.1 30.5 86.3 10.7 2.4 0.5
Erongo 27 496 85.3 7.1 3.3 95.7 2.7 1.5 0.1
Hardap 15 039 66.6 20.3 7.7 94.6 3.4 1.6 0.4
Karas 15 481 76.5 15.3 1.9 93.7 3.9 1.9 0.5
Kavango 30 467 23.5 23.2 15.6 62.3 29.7 7.3 0.7
Khomas 58 580 75.4 20.5 2.0 97.9 0.7 0.5 0.9
Kunene 12 489 44.9 13.9 14.1 72.8 15.5 10.8 0.9
Ohangwena 35 958 30.1 42.0 5.5 77.5 5.0 16.2 1.2
Omaheke 12 590 65.2 15.7 8.2 89.1 2.3 7.8 0.8
Omusati 38 202 33.3 46.2 3.0 82.5 8.5 8.3 0.7
Oshana 29 557 49.5 42.8 1.4 93.7 3.3 2.1 0.9
Oshikoto 28 419 43.4 39.5 5.4 88.2 3.9 7.1 0.8
Otjozondjupa 25 338 67.8 19.5 7.0 94.3 1.5 2.7 1.5
Chapter 9 Water Supply and Sanitation
59
Table 9.1.2 Percent of households by distance to water source, Namibia, 2001 Census
Area Number
of house-
holds
Distance in metres
0 1-100 101-200 201-300 301-400 401-500 501-1000 1001+ Not
stated
Namibia
346 455 54.1 16.5 4.4 2.4 1.8 2.4 8.0 9.2 1.2
Urban 136 909 79.8 14.1 2.1 0.8 0.6 0.5 0.8 0.3 1.0
Rural
209 546 37.3 18.1 5.9 3.5 2.5 3.6 12.7 15.0 1.3
Caprivi 16 839 27.7 46.5 8.5 4.0 2.1 2.5 5.0 3.3 0.3
Erongo 27 496 86.6 6.1 1.7 0.7 0.5 0.7 1.9 1.1 0.6
Hardap 15 039 69.2 20.7 4.3 1.3 0.6 0.7 1.2 0.8 1.3
Karas 15 481 78.5 12.8 3.2 1.0 0.6 1.2 1.3 0.7 0.6
Kavango 30 467 25.2 18.7 7.9 4.8 3.3 5.2 14.5 18.8 1.6
Khomas 58 580 77.2 16.7 2.3 0.8 0.6 0.3 1.0 0.3 0.8
Kunene 12 489 45.4 20.6 6.1 2.9 2.1 2.6 9.8 9.4 1.2
Ohangwena 35 958 31.4 17.5 5.0 3.2 2.7 4.5 16.4 18.2 1.1
Omaheke 12 590 66.7 12.9 5.9 2.8 2.3 2.3 4.4 1.6 1.1
Omusati 38 202 33.9 12.9 5.6 3.7 2.9 3.6 15.9 20.4 1.0
Oshana 29 557 50.3 16.1 4.6 3.0 2.3 2.5 10.7 9.0 1.4
Oshikoto 28 419 44.8 11.5 3.1 2.1 1.6 3.3 11.8 20.4 1.3
Otjozondjupa 25 338 69.9 14.2 2.8 1.8 1.1 1.4 2.5 3.1 3.1
Chapter 9 Water Supply and Sanitation
60
9.2 Type of toilet facility
More than half of the households in the country have
no toilet facility
Table 9.2. presents the percent distribution of households by type of toilet facility. Over 54% of the
households in Namibia have no toilet facility. Instead, they utilise the bush. Only 44% of the
households in the country use flush or long drop toilet facility. There are notable differences between
urban and rural areas. Over 70% of the households in the urban areas use flush toilet while the
corresponding rural percentage is less than 10. Over 78% of the rural households use the bush as
against 17% in the urban areas. Over 80% of the households in Caprivi, Kavango, Ohangwena and
Omusati regions have no access to a toilet facility.
Table 9.2 Percent of households by toilet facility, Namibia, 2001 Census
Area Number
of
house-
holds
Percent
Flush
toilet
not
shared
Flush
toilet
shared
VIP Pit
long
drop
Bucket/
pail
Bush Other Not
stated
Namibia 346 455 22.5 11.9 2.0 7.1 1.5 54.2 0.3 0.4
Urban 136 909 47.5 25.0 2.1 5.7 1.6 17.4 0.5 0.3
Rural 209 546 6.1 3.4 2.0 8.1 1.5 78.3 0.2 0.4
Caprivi 16 839 7.4 5.9 0.3 1.9 0.5 83.4 0.1 0.4
Erongo 27 496 46.2 34.1 1.8 5.2 0.6 11.5 0.5 0.1
Hardap 15 039 40.2 9.4 1.4 4.3 10.3 34.0 0.1 0.3
Karas 15 481 37.9 19.9 1.9 6.6 7.3 26.0 0.2 0.3
Kavango 30 467 5.2 2.1 1.1 8.8 0.8 81.3 0.1 0.5
Khomas 58 580 49.9 25.4 0.8 2.2 0.6 20.2 0.5 0.4
Kunene 12 489 19.9 6.3 0.6 4.8 2.1 65.5 0.2 0.6
Ohangwena 35 958 2.0 1.2 1.4 5.5 0.5 88.8 0.1 0.5
Omaheke 12 590 22.4 10.5 1.2 2.6 0.7 62.2 0.1 0.2
Omusati 38 202 2.3 1.0 3.9 8.8 0.5 83.0 0.2 0.3
Oshana 29 557 13.7 5.5 8.2 21.1 1.2 49.2 0.7 0.4
Oshikoto 28 419 9.3 6.6 1.4 10.4 1.4 70.2 0.5 0.3
Otjozondjupa 25 338 30.3 17.5 0.8 7.0 0.8 42.7 0.2 0.7
9.3 Garbage and refuse disposal
Table 9.3 shows the percent distribution of households by means of disposing garbage/refuse. The
most common means of disposing garbage in Namibia is regular collection, which is utilised by 31%
of all the households. In the urban areas, over 65% of the households have their garbage regularly
collected. The corresponding percentage for the rural areas is only 8. The most common means of
rubbish disposal in most of the regions is the rubbish pit and incineration, except for Khomas and
Erongo regions where regular collection is relatively high.
Chapter 9 Water Supply and Sanitation
61
Table 9.3 Percent of households by means of garbage disposal, Namibia, 2001 Census
Area Number
of house-
holds
Percent
Regularly
collected
Irregularly
collected
Incinerated Roadside
dumping
Rubbish
pit
Other Not
stated
Namibia 346 455 30.9 11.5 18.0 14.7 20.3 3.4 1.2
Urban 136 909 65.3 11.3 2.8 10.3 8.6 0.9 0.8
Rural 209 546 8.4 11.7 27.9 17.6 28.0 5.1 1.4
Caprivi 16 839 8.7 6.8 22.4 16.0 43.6 1.4 1.1
Erongo 27 496 75.5 5.7 4.9 6.5 6.6 0.4 0.5
Hardap 15 039 28.7 16.8 16.3 12.8 23.7 0.7 0.9
Karas 15 481 57.3 8.0 8.4 11.5 13.5 0.4 0.9
Kavango 30 467 3.1 9.7 30.8 17.8 31.7 5.5 1.4
Khomas 58 580 70.3 8.7 2.7 8.9 7.6 1.1 0.7
Kunene 12 489 15.1 11.7 32.9 18.8 17.1 2.9 1.6
Ohangwena 35 958 7.1 15.1 32.3 23.2 18.7 2.0 1.5
Omaheke 12 590 20.9 3.5 8.4 10.1 53.8 1.8 1.5
Omusati 38 202 7.9 15.5 20.4 19.0 23.7 12.3 1.1
Oshana 29 557 16.8 16.8 19.1 19.7 21.2 4.7 1.5
Oshikoto 28 419 12.6 15.6 33.3 14.9 17.5 4.8 1.2
Otjozondjupa 25 338 42.3 11.0 11.1 11.2 21.5 1.1 1.8
Chapter 10 Fertility
62
10 Fertility
Generally, indicators of the levels of fertility are based on data from either civil registration or reported
births in a specified period and the population relating to the same period. In Namibia, the coverage of
the civil registration system is not complete and, as such, information on the number of births is
deficient. Likewise, reported information on births and deaths from surveys and censuses is usually
under-reported and hence, does not provide a good basis for estimating the levels of fertility and
mortality.
An indirect method of estimating the levels of fertility has been developed. Estimates of fertility
based on the reported births in the last twelve months provide the true pattern, but under-estimate the
level of fertility. On the other hand, estimates based on the average number of children ever born to
women provide lifetime estimates of fertility levels, but without a time reference. The indirect
technique adjusts the levels of fertility estimated from reported births in the last twelve months by
using the estimates from the average number of children ever born to women.
In the 2001 Census all women in child-bearing ages were asked questions on the number of live births
as well as the month and year of the last live birth. The total number of live births provides an
estimate of lifetime fertility while the information on the last live birth provides current estimates of
the level of fertility. The latter are usually underestimated, and the lifetime fertility estimates are used
to adjust them to arrive at the expected current levels of fertility.
There are various measures of fertility. The indicator used here is the total fertility rate (TFR). This is
the average number of children a woman would be expected to have if she survives through her
reproductive period, i.e. from about age 15 to 49 years. In addition to the total fertility rates, the
pattern of fertility is also provided. This indicates the contribution by the various age groups of the
women to the total fertility rate. Comparisons with the rates estimated from the 1991 census are also
made. It should, however, be noted that the method of estimation for the rates from data in the two
censuses is not the same.
10.1 Levels of Fertility
On the average, women in Namibia gave birth to 4 children
in 2001 as compared to 6 children in 1991
The total fertility rates for Namibia by urban and rural areas and by region are shown in Table 10.1.
On the average, at the time of the Census in 2001, women were expected to give birth to about four
children. Women in urban areas were expected to have between three to four children, while those in
rural areas gave birth to between four and five children. The total fertility rates for the regions ranged
from three children for Karas region to over 5 children for Kavango and Ohangwena regions.
It can be observed from the table and from Figure 10.1 that the level of fertility has declined
significantly between 1991 and 2001. During the latter period women are, on the average, having two
fewer children than in 1991. This decline is consistent across all the regions as well as for the urban
and rural areas. It is worth noting that the over all trend in the level of fertility across the regions is
consistent between the two periods of time. It can be concluded that, with the exception of Caprivi,
the regions with relatively high levels of fertility in 2001 were the same ones in 1991. The same is
also the case for those regions with relatively low levels of fertility.
This decline in the level of fertility between the two periods is not surprising. The period around
1990/91 was not what one would take as a normal period for most activities in the country. This was
the time immediately after independence, when the country was now peaceful. Before this time,
during the war, marriages had been disrupted, even postponed, partly through temporary separation of
couples as well as insecurity. In such situations, the level of fertility is expected to be relatively low.
After independence, when the situation returned to normal, a small baby boom was likely to take
place, as most couples would like to make up for what was lost during the war, and hence, the cause
for the observed high levels of fertility in 1991. Ten years later, the situation has completely stabilized
and reproductive behaviour has returned to normal. At this time, the normal trend of fertility levels is
in force.
Chapter 10 Fertility
63
Table 10.1 Levels of fertility by area, Namibia, 1991 and 2001 Census
Area Total Fertility Rates
2001 1991
Namibia
4.1 6.1
Urban 3.4 4.7
Rural
4.6 6.8
Caprivi 3.8 6.7
Erongo 3.2 5.1
Hardap 3.6 4.9
Karas 3.1 3.8
Kavango 5.5 7.1
Khomas 3.3 4.1
Kunene 4.7 6.2
Ohangwena 5.3 7.7
Omaheke 4.7 6.1
Omusati 4.0 5.7
Oshana 3.7 5.6
Oshikoto 4.6 6.7
Otjozondjupa 4.1 5.7
Figure 10.1 Total Fertility Rates by area, Namibia, 1991 and
2001 Censuses
10.2 Fertility Pattern
Teen-age females contribute over 9% to the total fertility in Namibia
The pattern of fertility for women in child-bearing ages in Namibia is shown in Figure 10.2.1.
Motherhood starts at a fairly early age, and child bearing is still significant in the late ages. This can
clearly be seen by the percent contribution to the total fertility rate by the various age groups of
mothers as presented in Figures 10.2.2 for Namibia and Figure 10.2.3 for urban and rural areas. Teen-
age mothers contribute over 9% to the total fertility rate, while mothers aged 40 years and above
contribute another 11%. Child-bearing for women is concentrated in the 20 35 year age group which
accounts for over 64% of the total fertility rate. The pattern for urban and rural areas is basically the
same, except that mothers in urban areas have relatively more children in their younger ages while
those in rural areas have relatively more children in their older ages.
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
N
am
ib
ia
U
rb
an
R
ur
al
C
ap
riv
i
Er
on
go
H
ar
da
p
K
ar
as
K
av
an
go
K
ho
m
as
K
un
en
e
O
ha
ng
w
en
a
O
m
ah
ek
e
O
m
us
at
i
O
sh
an
a
O
sh
ik
ot
o
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tjo
zo
nd
ju
pa
A
ve
ra
ge
n
um
be
r o
f c
hi
ld
re
n
pe
r w
om
an
2001
1991
Chapter 10 Fertility
64
Figure 10.2.1 Age-Specific Fertility Rates
(ASFR), Namibia, 2001 Census
0.0000
0.0200
0.0400
0.0600
0.0800
0.1000
0.1200
0.1400
0.1600
0.1800
0.2000
15
-
19
20
-
24
25
-
29
30
-
34
35
-
39
40
-
44
45
-
49
Age group
A
SF
R
Figure 10.2.2 Percent age contribution to TFR, Namibia, 2001 Census
0
5
10
15
20
25
15 - 19 20 - 24 25 - 29 30 - 34 35 - 39 40 - 44 45 - 49
Age group
Pe
rc
en
t o
f T
FR
Figure 10.2.3 Percent age contribution to TFR, Urban and Rural
Areas, 2001 Census
0.0
5.0
10.0
15.0
20.0
25.0
15 - 19 20 - 24 25 - 29 30 - 34 35 - 39 40 - 44 45 - 49
Age group
Pe
rc
en
t o
f T
FR
Urban
Rural
Age-Specific Fertility Rate (ASFR) is the
average number of births per woman in a
specific age group for all the women in
that age group, irrespective of whether
they had a live birth or not, during the last
12 months before the Census.
Chapter 10 Fertility
65
10.3 Fertility differentials
The level of fertility is influenced by various socio-economic characteristics of the mothers. The
census collected information on some of these characteristics. Total fertility rate estimates were
undertaken for women in some of these socio-economic groups. These were marital status, highest
level of education attained, activity and status in employment. The fertility rates for these groupings
are presented in Tables 10.3.1, 10.3.2, 10.3.3 and 10.3.4 respectively.
10.3.1 Levels of fertility by marital status of mothers
It can be observed from Table 10.3.1 and Figure 10.3.1 that, for Namibia as a whole, never married
women have the lowest level of fertility, while those in consensual unions have the highest level. The
same pattern is observed for both urban and rural areas. There are no significant differences in the
fertility levels for women who have been divorced/separated and those who are widowed. The same
pattern was also observed from data in the 1991 census.
Table 10.3.1 Total fertility rates by marital status
of mothers, Namibia, 2001 Census
Marital Status Namibia Urban Rural
All women 4.1 3.4 4.6
Never married 3.3 3.1 3.6
Married Legally 5.2 4.0 5.8
Consensual union 5.6 4.9 6.0
Divorced/Separated 3.6 3.4 4.0
Widowed 3.8 3.2 4.0
Figure 10.3.1 Total fertility rates by marital status
of mothers, Namibia, 2001Census
0 1 2 3 4 5 6
All women
Never married
Married Legally
Concensual union
Divorced/Separated
Widowed
Number of children
10.3.2 Levels of fertility by highest level of education of mothers
Fertility levels by mothers highest level of education completed is presented in Table 3.2.1 and Figure
3.2.1. It can be observed that, for Namibia as a whole, the higher the level of education for mothers
the lower the level of fertility. This is clearly seen in the case where the total fertility rate for mothers
with no education is double that of mothers with secondary or post-secondary education. A similar
pattern is observed for both urban and rural areas. This relationship between the level of fertility and
education was also observed in the data from the 1991 census.
Table 10.3.2 Total fertility rate by mothers
highest level of education
completed, Namibia, 2002 Census
Educational level Namibia Urban Rural
All women 4.1 3.4 4.6
No education 5.3 4.5 5.7
Primary 3.9 3.7 4.2
Secondary 2.4 2.4 2.4
Tertiary 2.4 2.3 2.7
Figure 10.3.2 Total fertility rate by mothers
highest level of education completed,
Namibia, 2001 Census
0 1 2 3 4 5 6
All women
No education
Primary
Secondary
Tertiary
Number of children
Chapter 10 Fertility
66
10.3.3 Levels of fertility by the activity status of mothers
The total fertility rates by the activity status of mothers are presented in Table 10.3.3 and Figure
10.3.3. For Namibia as a whole, mothers who are homemakers have the highest fertility, followed by
the unemployed, while students have the lowest number of children. The same pattern can be
observed for urban and rural areas, with rural women having higher numbers of children than their
urban counterparts. It should be noted that homemakers in rural areas have an average of close to
seven children as compared to the urban ones who have about four children.
Table 10.3.3 Total fertility rates by mothers
activity status and by urban and
rural areas, Namibia, 2001 Census
Activity Namibia Urban Rural
All Activities 4.1 3.4 4.6
Employed 3.7 3.1 4.5
Unemployed 4.0 3.6 6.0
Students 2.8 1.8 3.6
Homemakers 4.7 3.9 6.7
Figure 10.3.3 Total fertility rates by mothers activity
status, Namibia, 2001 Census
0 2 4 6
All Activities
Employed
Unemployed
Students
Homemakers
Number of children
10.3.4 Levels of fertility by mothers status in employment
The levels of fertility by the employment status of mothers are presented in Table 10.3.4 and Figure
10.3.4. At national level, women who are in private employment have the lowest number of children
while unpaid family workers have the highest level of fertility. The same pattern can be observed for
urban and rural areas. This same phenomenon was observed from the 1991 census results.
Table 10.3.4 Total fertility rates by mothers
employment status, Namibia, 2001
Census
Employment status Namibia Urban Rural
All employed women 3.6 3.1 4.5
Employers 3.2 2.9 3.6
Own account workers 4.7 3.7 5.1
Government Employees 3.0 2.9 3.0
Private Employees 2.8 2.7 3.4
Unpaid Family Workers 5.3 3.9 5.5
Figure 10.3.4 Total fertility rates by mothers,
employment status, Namibia,
2001 Census
0 1 2 3 4 5 6
All employed women
Employers
Own account workers
Government employees
Private employees
Unpaid family workers
Number of children
Chapter 10 Fertility
67
10.4 Coverage of registration of last live birth
It was noted above that if the registration of births in the country was complete, it would not be
necessary to estimate the levels of fertility using indirect methods. The census collected information
on the registration status of the last live birth in an attempt to assess the coverage of the registration of
births. Table 10.4 shows the distribution of births by status of registration for the country, urban and
rural areas as well as for all the regions.
It can be observed that three quarters of all the births in the country were registered. There are
significant differences between urban and rural areas. In the former case, close to 9 out of ten births
were registered, while in the latter situation, less then 8 out of 10 were registered. The registration of
births in the regions ranges from 59 percent in Kavango to 93 percent in Hardap.
Table 10.4 Distribution of last live birth by registration status and
area, Namibia, 2001 Census
Area Total births Registered Not Registered Not stated % Registered
Namibia
273 067 206 753 59 129 7 185 75.7
Urban 114 251 101 377 10 212 2 662 88.7
Rural
158 816 105 376 48 917 4 523 66.4
Caprivi 12 773 9 700 2 848 225 75.9
Erongo 18 845 17 158 1 279 408 91.0
Hardap 10 942 10 129 619 194 92.6
Karas 11 759 10 870 704 185 92.4
Kavango 30 871 18 071 11 997 803 58.5
Khomas 47 607 42 614 3 920 1 073 89.5
Kunene 9 867 6 557 2 996 314 66.5
Ohangwena 28 097 16 977 10 096 1 024 60.4
Omaheke 9 831 6 875 2 687 269 69.9
Omusati 27 147 17 912 8 482 753 66.0
Oshana 23 840 18 253 4 883 704 76.6
Oshikoto 22 041 15 937 5 411 693 72.3
Otjozondjupa 19 447 15 700 3 207 540 80.7
Chapter 11 Mortality and Orphanhood
68
11 Mortality and Orphanhood
Indicators of the level of mortality are usually based on data from either civil registration or reported
deaths in a specified period and the population relating to the same period. In Namibia, the coverage
of the civil registration system is not complete and, as such, information on the number of deaths is
deficient. Likewise, reported information on deaths from surveys and Censuses may be under-
reported and hence lead to an underestimation of the level of mortality. Various techniques have been
developed to provide reasonable estimates of the levels of mortality.
In the 2001 Census, information on deaths was collected at two levels. Women in childbearing ages
were asked about their total number of live births and those still surviving as well as the survival status
of their last live birth. If these are reported correctly, then they would provide reasonable measures of
infant and child mortality. At the same time, all households were requested to report on all deaths that
occurred in the household since 1998. If there was a death in 2001, then the sex and age of the
deceased was also recorded. This information will provide the sex and age pattern of mortality. In
addition, if the deceased was a female in childbearing ages, maternal related cause of death was also
reported.
Orphanhood information was collected for all members of the household. Each person was requested
to state the survival status of his/her biological parents, i.e. both mother and father.
11.1 Number of reported deaths
Table 11.1.1 shows the trend in the number of deaths reported by households from 1998 to 2001 in
Namibia. It can be observed that the number of deaths has been increasing since 1999.
Table 11.1.1 Number of reported deaths, 1998
2001, Namibia, 2001 Census
Year Females Males Not stated Total
1998 10 596 12 289 22 885
1999 9 550 11 358 20 908
2000 12 243 14 084 26 327
2001* 18 206 18 507 879 37 592
Note * The deaths reported for 2001 were only for the first 8 months.
Adjustments were made to cover all the 12 months.
Table 11.1.2 shows the percent increase in the number of deaths between 1999 and 2001 for the whole
country, urban and rural areas, as well as the regions. For Namibia, as a whole, the number of deaths
has increased by 80 percent within the last three years before the census. Deaths in urban areas have
increased by over 100 percent while those in rural areas have gone up by over 70 percent within the
same period.
There are significant differences with regard to the regions. Only Otjozondjupa region recorded a
decline in deaths. The percentage increase in the rest of the regions ranges from 31 to 129 respectively
for Kunene and Khomas regions.
The magnitude of mortality in the country can also be observed by looking at households, which had
at least one death within 3 years before the Census. This is shown in Figure 11.1.1. For the country as
a whole, close to one out of six households have experienced at least one death within the last three
years before the Census. For urban areas, one out of ten households had a death, while in rural areas
one out five had a death during the same period.
Significant differences exist in the regions in terms of households which had a death within the last
three years before the census. More than 20 percent of the households in Ohangwena, Kavango and
Omusati regions had a death during the period under consideration. In the regions of Caprivi, Hardap,
Karas, Kunene, Omaheke, Oshana, Oshikoto and Otjozondjupa, 10 20 percent of the households had
a death during this period. Only Khomas and Erongo regions have less than 10 percent of the
households with a death within the three years before the census.
Chapter 11 Mortality and Orphanhood
69
Table 11.1.2 Percent increase of deaths by area,
1999 2001, Namibia, 2001 Census
Area % Increase
Namibia
80
Urban 101
Rural
73
Caprivi 108
Erongo 125
Hardap 120
Karas 95
Kavango 104
Khomas 129
Kunene 31
Ohangwena 122
Omaheke 66
Omusati 95
Oshana 58
Oshikoto 105
Otjozondjupa -37
Figure 11.1.1 Percent of households with a death within 3 years before the Census
Namibia, 2001 Census
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
N
am
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U
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ju
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Pe
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en
t
11.2 Mortality indicators
There are many indicators, which are used for describing the levels of mortality. Three of these
indicators are presented here. The first one is infant mortality rate, which is the number of infant
deaths per one thousand live births. That is, the number of babies who die before their first birthday
per 1 000 live births. The second measure is the under-five mortality rate, which is the number of
children who die before they celebrate their fifth birthday per 1 000 live births. This indicator provides
a good summary measure of child mortality. The last indicator is the expectation of life at birth, which
is the number of years a new-born would be expected to live if it were exposed to the current pattern
of mortality. Expectation of life at birth provides an overall indicator of the level of mortality for the
whole population under consideration.
The estimates of infant and under-five mortality rates are based on information from children ever
born and those surviving, while the estimates of expectation of life at birth are based on the reported
child deaths aged 1 4 years for the year 2001.
The various indicators are presented in Table 11.2.1 for both 1991 and 2001 censuses. In 2001 the
infant mortality rate for Namibia was 49 and 55 per 1 000 live births respectively for females and
Chapter 11 Mortality and Orphanhood
70
males. Female infants are relatively better off than their male counterparts. The rate for both sexes
was 53 infant deaths per 1 000 live births. In 1991 the rate for both sexes was 67. This implies that
the infant mortality rate declined by about 29 percent between 1991 and 2001.
In 2001, the infant mortality rates for urban areas are 43 and 47 respectively for females and males,
while the corresponding rates for rural areas are 54 and 61. Infants in rural areas experience higher
mortality than those in urban areas. Again, for both areas, female infants experience lower mortality
than the male ones. The rates for both sexes are 44 and 58 respectively for urban and rural areas. The
corresponding rates in 1991 were 55 and 72, indicating a decline in the level of infant mortality in both
urban and rural areas between the two periods.
The level of infant mortality varies significantly between the regions. The rate for both sexes ranges
from 40 to 71 infant deaths per 1 000 live births in Khomas and Kavango regions respectively. Except
for Khomas, Kunene and Ohangwena regions, significant declines between 1991 and 2001 can be
observed in all the other regions.
Under-five mortality follows the same pattern as that of infant mortality for the whole country, urban
and rural areas, as well as the regions. However, the rates for Kavango and Caprivi regions are
exceptionally high. In both regions more than one out of ten children will have died before the age of
five. Overall, males are worse off than females.
The life expectancy at birth in Namibia was estimated at 50 and 48 years respectively for females and
males. This has declined significantly from the 1991 estimates which were 63 and 59 years
respectively for females and males. This implies an increase of the level of overall mortality in the
country. Although infant and child mortality has declined over the period under consideration,
significant increases in adult mortality has resulted in an overall increase in the level of mortality for
the whole population.
Life expectancy at birth for urban areas was estimated at 52 and 51 years respectively for females and
males. Corresponding estimates for rural areas were 49 and 47 years respectively. Males are worse
off than females in both areas. There are no corresponding estimates for 1991.
Regional estimates of life expectancy at birth for females range from 41 to 61 years respectively for
Kavango and Otjozondjupa regions. The estimates for males range from 41 to 55 years respectively
for Caprivi and Otjozondjupa regions. The regions of Caprivi, Kavango, Ohangwena and Oshana
have relatively low life expectation at birth for both females and males, implying high levels of
mortality for their respective populations. It should be noted that both Caprivi and Kavango regions
also have very high levels of child mortality. It can be observed from the table that, except for
Otjozondjupa region, the level of mortality has increased significantly for all the other regions
between 1991 and 2001.
Chapter 11 Mortality and Orphanhood
71
Table 11.2 Estimates of infant and under-five mortality rates and
Expectation of life at birth by area, Namibia, 2001
Census
Area Infant Mortality Under-5 Mortality Life expectancy at Birth
2001 1991 2001 1991 2001 1991
Females Males Average Both sexes Females Males Average Both sexes Females Males Females Males
Namibia 49 55 52 67 64 78 71 87 50.2 47.6 62.8 59.1
Urban 43 47 45 55 51 63 57 71 52.4 51.2 .. ..
Rural 54 61 58 72 73 88 81 93 49.5 46.7 .. ..
Caprivi 56 62 59 106 82 111 97 132 42.5 40.7 54.5 51.4
Erongo 43 40 42 51 43 58 51 66 59.4 53.8 66.5 62.7
Hardap 60 63 62 72 67 74 71 93 52.6 51.0 61.5 57.9
Karas 37 56 47 74 55 60 58 91 61.4 53.9 62.0 58.4
Kavango 65 77 71 84 100 125 113 109 41.5 41.9 59.0 55.5
Khomas 38 42 40 39 47 55 51 50 56.2 54.1 69.5 65.5
Kunene 49 61 55 59 60 85 73 77 57.2 50.0 64.5 60.7
Ohangwena 56 56 56 59 69 86 78 109 44.8 43.2 64.6 60.9
Omaheke 51 59 55 78 62 91 77 101 60.0 55.4 60.3 56.7
Omusati 32 46 39 49 55 66 61 64 50.3 46.4 66.9 63.0
Oshana 41 46 44 62 63 64 64 80 47.7 46.2 64.0 60.3
Oshikoto 58 61 60 66 72 75 74 86 49.8 50.0 63.0 59.3
Otjozondjupa 45 51 48 67 59 80 70 87 61.2 54.9 62.6 59.0
11.3 Mortality differentials
Like the levels of fertlity, child mortality levels are affected by the background characteristics of their
mothers. These include, among others, marital status, the level of education attained, activity as well
as the employment status. Estimates of under-five mortality rates are presented by these background
characteristics of mothers in Tables 11.3.1 to 11.3.4 as well as in Fugures 11.3.1 to 11.3.4.
11.3.1 Child mortality levels by the marital status of mothers
From Table 11.3.1 and Figure 11.3.1 it can be observed that the level of mortality for children varies
with their mothers marital status. Children of widowed and divorced/separated mothers experience
the highest mortality, while those of women who have never been married have the lowest mortality.
This pattern is consistent even for urban and rural areas.
11.3.2 Child mortality levels by the highest level of education of mothers
Levels of under-five mortality by mothers highest level of education completed are presented in Table
11.3.2 and Figure 11.3.2. It can clearly be observed that child mortality and the level of education of
mothers are inversely related. The children of mothers with secondary education or higher experience
relatively low mortality as compared to those children whose mothers have had little or no education.
11.3.3 Child mortality levels by the activity status of mothers
Under-five mortality rates by the activity status of mothers are shown in Table 11.3.3 and Figure
11.3.3. For Namibia as a whole, children belonging to student mothers experience the highest
mortality. This is very pronounced in the rural areas where more than 1 out of 10 children die before
the age of five.
Chapter 11 Mortality and Orphanhood
72
11.3.4 Child mortality levels by employment status of mothers
The rates of under-five mortality by the employment status of mothers are presented in Table 11.3.4
and Figure 11.3.4. The children of unpaid family workers have the highest level of mortality, while
those of mothers in Government employment have the lowest level. It can be observed that the
mortality level of children belonging to the latter group of women is less than 50 percent of those
belonging to the former group. This same pattern can be observed for both urban and rural areas.
Table 11.3.1 Estimates of Under-five mortality
rates by mothers marital status
and by area, Namibia, 2001 Census
Marital status Namibia Urban Rural
All women 71 58 81
Never married 65 58 72
Legally married 68 48 81
Consensual union 87 76 94
Divorced 106 85 117
Widowed 113 74 131
Table 11.3.2 Estimates of under-five mortality
rates by mothers level of education
and by area, Namibia, 2001 Census
Level attained Namibia Urban Rural
All women 71 58 81
No level completed 83 82 84
Primary school 61 54 68
Secondary school 33 29 42
Tertiary level 31 28 38
Figure 11.3.1 Estimates of under-five mortality
rates by mothers marital status,
Namibia, 2001 Census
0 20 40 60 80 100 120
All women
Never married
Legally married
Consensual union
Divorced
Widowed
Under-5 deaths per 1000 live births
Figure 11.3.2 Estimates of under-five mortality
by mothers level of education,
Namibia, 2001 Census
0 20 40 60 80 100
All women
No level completed
Primary school
Secondary school
Tertiary level
Under-5 deaths per 1000 live births
Chapter 11 Mortality and Orphanhood
73
Table 11.3.3 Estimates of Under-five mortality
rates by mothers activity status
and by area, Namibia, 2001 Census
Activity Namibia Urban Rural
All Activities 4.1 3.4 4.6
Employed 3.7 3.1 4.5
Unemployed 4.0 3.6 6.0
Students 2.8 1.8 3.6
Homemakers 4.7 3.9 6.7
Table 11.3.4 Estimates of under-five mortality
rates by mothers status in
employment and by area, Namibia,
2001 Census
Employment status Namibia Urban Rural
All employed 65 50 82
Employers 73 45 94
Own account workers 90 79 95
Government employees 41 35 48
Private employees 56 49 69
Unpaid Family Workers 96 99 96
Figure 11.3.3 Estimates of Under-five mortality
rates by mothers activity status,
Namibia, 2001 Census
0 1 2 3 4 5
All Activities
Employed
Unemployed
Students
Homemakers
Under-5 deaths per 1000 live births
Figure 11.3.4 Estimates of under-five mortality
rates by mothers status in employment,
Namibia, 2001 Census
0 20 40 60 80 100
All employed
Employers
Own account workers
Government employees
Private employees
Unpaid Family Workers
Under-5 deaths per 1000 live births
11.4 Coverage of the registration of deaths
It has been noted above that if the registration of deaths in the country was complete, it would not be
necessary to estimate the levels of mortality using indirect methods. The census collected information
on the registration status of reported deaths in 2001 in an attempt to assess the coverage of the
registration of deaths. Table 11.4 shows the distribution of deaths by status of registration for the
country, urban and rural areas as well as for all the regions.
It can be observed that seven out of ten deaths which took place in 2001 were registered. Urban areas
had higher rates of registration than the rural ones with 86 percent as compared to 65 percent
respectively. The registration of deaths in the regions ranged from 58 percent in Ohangwena to 94
percent in Hardap.
Chapter 11 Mortality and Orphanhood
74
Table 11.4 Distribution of reported deaths in 2001 by registration
status and by area, Namibia, 2001 Census
Area Total deaths Registered Not Registered Not stated % Registered
Namibia
25 061 17 556 5 192 2 313 70.1
Urban 6 529 5 597 430 502 85.7
Rural
18 532 11 959 4 762 1 811 64.5
Caprivi 1 550 911 456 183 58.8
Erongo 1 026 932 33 61 90.8
Hardap 984 928 24 32 94.3
Karas 626 583 16 27 93.1
Kavango 3 334 2 083 1 001 250 62.5
Khomas 2 190 1 914 141 135 87.4
Kunene 923 604 194 125 65.4
Ohangwena 4 269 2 462 1 327 480 57.7
Omaheke 628 517 61 50 82.3
Omusati 3 465 2 394 832 239 69.1
Oshana 2 452 1 755 447 250 71.6
Oshikoto 2 446 1 647 540 259 67.3
Otjozondjupa 1 168 826 120 222 70.7
11.5 Orphanhood
Information on orphanhood, particularly for children, provides an indirect indicator for adult mortality.
It also reflects on the degree of dependency at household level. Table 11.5.1 below presents the
number of households with at least one orphaned member aged below 15 years. Close to 24 percent of
the households in Namibia have a child under 15 years of age without one parent. The proportion of
households with orphaned children under the same age who have lost both parents is slightly over 3
percent. This implies that in 3 out of every 100 households there is a child without parents, relying on
extended family relatives, or friends, for survival.
There are significant differences between urban and rural areas. The percent of households with
children aged below 15 years who have only one parent is 16 and 28 respectively for urban and rural
areas. The corresponding percentages of households with children who have lost both parents are
respectively 2 and 4.
The regions of Caprivi, Kavango and Ohangwena are the most hit by the orphanage situation where
about 1 out of 20 households have under-15 children who have lost both parents. In the case of
Ohangwena region, more than a third of these households have children who are survived by only one
parent. In the regions of Caprivi, Kavango, Omusati, Oshana and Oshikoto, more than 1 out of 5
households have children with only one parent.
The number of orphaned children aged below 15 years is presented in Table 11.5.2. For the country as
a whole, about 12 percent of all children under this age have lost one parent. This is slightly over one
out of eight children under 15 years of age who are survived by only one parent. The proportion of
orphans under the same age without both parents is just over 1 percent. This implies that about 1 out
of 100 children under the age of 15 have lost both parents.
In urban areas, about 9 percent of the children under 15 have lost one parent as compared to the rural
areas where the corresponding percentage is 13. The percentage of children who have lost both
parents is about 1 percent for both areas.
With regard to the regions, Caprivi, Kavango, Ohangwena, Omusati, Oshana and Oshikoto stand out
as the ones where more than 1 out of 10 under-15 children are survived by only one parent. In
Caprivi region, close to 3 percent of the children have lost both parents. In the rest of the other
regions, the corresponding proportion is below 2 percent.
Chapter 11 Mortality and Orphanhood
75
Table 11.5.1 Households with at least one orphaned member aged below
15 years by area, Namibia, 2001 Census
Area
Number of
households
with children
under 15
Households with at least one child under 15
orphaned by
One parent Both parents
Number Percent Number Percent
Namibia 237 752 56 765 23.9 7 768 3.3
Urban 76 829 11 972 15.6 1 516 2.0
Rural 160 923 44 793 27.8 6 252 3.9
Caprivi 11 878 3 378 28.4 662 5.6
Erongo 13 629 1 646 12.1 163 1.2
Hardap 9 307 1 509 16.2 189 2.0
Karas 8 448 1 322 15.6 171 2.0
Kavango 25 239 6 669 26.4 1 163 4.6
Khomas 31 441 4 138 13.2 483 1.5
Kunene 8 283 1 335 16.1 134 1.6
Ohangwena 30 659 10 495 34.2 1 397 4.6
Omaheke 8 408 1 429 17.0 185 2.2
Omusati 31 288 9 718 31.1 1 232 3.9
Oshana 21 020 6 298 30.0 823 3.9
Oshikoto 21 249 6 050 28.5 798 3.8
Otjozondjupa 16 903 2 778 16.4 368 2.2
Table 11.5.2 Number of orphans aged below 15 years by area, Namibia,
2001 Census
Area Number of
children
under 15
Children under 15 orphaned by
One parent Both parents
Number Percent Number Percent
Namibia 717 850 87 587 12.2 9 590 1.3
Urban 181 480 17 008 9.4 1 846 1.0
Rural 536 370 70 579 13.2 7 744 1.4
Caprivi 31 030 5 444 17.5 842 2.7
Erongo 30 392 2 134 7.0 191 0.6
Hardap 24 299 2 184 9.0 231 1.0
Karas 21 093 1 855 8.8 202 1.0
Kavango 88 978 11 962 13.4 1 556 1.7
Khomas 71 063 5 622 7.9 569 0.8
Kunene 28 095 1 979 7.0 157 0.6
Ohangwena 110 264 16 212 14.7 1 679 1.5
Omaheke 27 596 2 061 7.5 224 0.8
Omusati 100 428 14 682 14.6 1 445 1.4
Oshana 63 705 9 854 15.5 1 065 1.7
Oshikoto 69 839 9 288 13.3 940 1.3
Otjozondjupa 51 068 4 310 8.4 489 1.0
Chapter 12 Migration
76
12 Migration
The census enumerated people at the place where they spent the Census Reference Night of 27-28
August 2001. Some of these people were not counted at their usual place of residence. Likewise,
some members of the population were no longer residing in their original place of birth. Others have
moved to other regions. In an effort to capture information on inter-regional population movements,
the census collected information on place of birth, place of usual residence at the time of the census,
one and five years before the census. Such information will provide indicators on lifetime as well as
short time migration movements within the country.
11.1 Usual resident population
Table 12.1 presents the population by place of enumeration and place of usual residence. It can be
observed that out of the total population of 1.83 million, which was enumerated in Namibia, slightly
over 1% was not usually residing in the country. In the case of the enumerated urban population, only
about 87 percent was actually residing in the urban areas. On the other hand, not all the enumerated
population in the rural areas was usually residing there. Close to 5 percent of them were not usual
residents.
The enumerated populations in the regions of Erongo, Karas, Khomas, Kunene, Oshana, Oshikoto and
Otjozondjupa was more than the populations which usually reside in them. On the other hand,
significant proportions of the populations which usually reside in the regions of Ohangwena and
Omusati were enumerated elsewhere.
Table 12.1 Distribution of the population by
place of enumeration and place
of usual residence, Namibia, 2001
Census
Area Population by place of Percent
Enumeration Usual residence
Namibia
1 830 330 1 805 117 98.6
Urban 603 612 522 777 86.6
Rural
1 226 718 1 282 340 104.5
Caprivi 79 826 80 584 100.9
Erongo 107 663 99 169 92.1
Hardap 68 249 69 007 101.1
Karas 69 329 64 792 93.5
Kavango 202 694 203 409 100.4
Khomas 250 262 230 791 92.2
Kunene 68 735 66 290 96.4
Ohangwena 228 384 240 112 105.1
Omaheke 68 039 68 766 101.1
Omusati 228 842 239 870 104.8
Oshana 161 916 155 874 96.3
Oshikoto 161 007 158 329 98.3
Otjozondjupa 135 384 128 124 94.6
Chapter 12 Migration
77
12.2 Lifetime migration
2 out of 5 persons usually residing in urban areas, were not born there
Lifetime migration provides information on people who have moved from their place of birth and
were currently residing elsewhere. Table 12.2.1 presents the population distribution by place of usual
residence and place of birth. For Namibia as a whole, about 4 percent of the population currently
residing in Namibia was born outside the country.
Urban areas depict a significant rate of lifetime in-migration where about 40 percent of the population
residing in these areas was not born there. On the other hand, rural areas show a different scenario.
Over 90 percent of the population usually residing in rural areas was born there.
The regions of Erongo, Karas, Khomas and Otjozondjupa have a very significant lifetime in-
migration. In the case of Erongo and Khomas, more than half of the usual residents in these regions
were not born there. On the other hand, more than 90 percent of the population which usually reside
in the regions of Kavango, Ohangwena and Omusati was born there.
Table 12.2.1 Population distribution by place of
usual residence and place of birth,
Namibia, 2001 census
Area Place of usual
residence
Place of birth Percent
born in area
Namibia
1 805 117 1 736 839 96.2
Urban 522 777 312 158 59.7
Rural
1 282 340 1 166 938 91.0
Caprivi 80 584 73 841 91.6
Erongo 99 169 44 171 44.5
Hardap 69 007 53 082 76.9
Karas 64 792 41 918 64.7
Kavango 203 409 193 395 95.1
Khomas 230 791 99 946 43.3
Kunene 66 290 53 894 81.3
Ohangwena 240 112 221 347 92.2
Omaheke 68 766 52 519 76.4
Omusati 239 870 223 065 93.0
Oshana 155 874 119 438 76.6
Oshikoto 158 329 121 059 76.5
Otjozondjupa 128 124 74 442 58.1
Details for place of birth for the regions with relatively high lifetime migration are presented in Table
12.2.2. For Erongo region, about 11 percent of the usual resident population who were not born in the
region were born in Khomas region, while about 37 percent were born in the northern regions of
Ohangwena, Omusati and Oshana. About 11 percent of the same residents were born outside
Namibia. With regard to Karas region, the proportions of the usual resident population who were not
born there are 14 percent from outside Namibia; 20 percent from Hardap and Khomas regions; and 47
percent from the northern regions of Kavango, Ohangwena, Omusati and Oshana.
As far as Khomas region is concerned, about 14 percent of the usual residents who were not born there
were born outside Namibia. About 46 percent of those not born in the region originate from the
northern regions of Ohangwena, Omusati, Oshana and Oshikoto. Otjozondjupa region has the highest
proportion of usual residents who were born outside the country, which is about 27 percent. Slightly
over 30 percent of the residents who were not born in the region originated from the regions of
Kavango, Khomas and Ohangwena.
Chapter 12 Migration
78
Table 12.2.2 Usual resident population by place of birth, selected regions,
Namibia, 2001 Census
Erongo region Karas region
Place of birth Number Percent Place of birth Number Percent
Erongo region 44 171 44.5 Karas region 41 918 64.7
Outside Erongo region 50 655 51.1 Outside Karas region 22 451 34.7
Not stated 4 343 4.4 Not stated 423 0.7
Total
99 169 100.0 Total 64 792 100.0
Place of birth outside Erongo region Number Percent Place of birth outside Karas region Number Percent
Caprivi 508 0.9 Caprivi 899 3.9
Hardap 2 895 5.3 Erongo 808 3.5
Karas 1 918 3.5 Hardap 2 359 10.3
Kavango 1 297 2.4 Kavango 2 328 10.2
Khomas 5 924 10.8 Khomas 2 242 9.8
Kunene 3 107 5.6 Kunene 214 0.9
Ohangwena 7 348 13.4 Ohangwena 2 561 11.2
Omaheke 928 1.7 Omaheke 416 1.8
Omusati 7 081 12.9 Omusati 2 741 12.0
Oshana 5 724 10.4 Oshana 3 017 13.2
Oshikoto 4 070 7.4 Oshikoto 1 162 5.1
Otjozondjupa 3 720 6.8 Otjozondjupa 494 2.2
Outside Namibia 6 135 11.2 Outside Namibia 3 210 14.0
Not stated 4 343 7.9 Not stated 423 1.8
Total 54 998 100.0 Total 22 874 100.0
Khomas region Otjozondjupa region
Place of birth Number Percent Place of birth Number Percent
Khomas region 99 946 43.3 Otjozondjupa region 74 442 58.1
Outside Khomas region 129 113 55.9 Outside Otjozondjupa region 52 878 41.3
Not stated 1 732 0.8 Not stated 804 0.6
Total
230 791 100.0 Total 128 124 100.0
Place of birth outside Khomas region Number Percent Place of birth outside Otjozondjupa region Number Percent
Caprivi 3 503 2.7 Caprivi 1 283 2.4
Erongo 7 279 5.6 Erongo 2 696 5.0
Hardap 12 387 9.5 Hardap 1 193 2.2
Karas 5 889 4.5 Karas 772 1.4
Kavango 4 957 3.8 Kavango 6 510 12.1
Kunene 2 173 1.7 Khomas 6 003 11.2
Ohangwena 20 400 15.6 Kunene 2 875 5.4
Omaheke 7 069 5.4 Ohangwena 4 518 8.4
Omusati 19 621 15.0 Omaheke 1 761 3.3
Oshana 10 734 8.2 Omusati 3 684 6.9
Oshikoto 9 510 7.3 Oshana 2 965 5.5
Otjozondjupa 7 459 5.7 Oshikoto 3 838 7.1
Outside Namibia 18 132 13.9 Outside Namibia 14 780 27.5
Not stated 1 732 1.3 Not stated 804 1.5
Total 130 845 100.0 Total 53 682 100.0
Chapter 12 Migration
79
12.3 Short term migration
Indicators for inter-regional short-term migration provide one of the main inputs for regional
population projections. The other main input is the rate of natural increase. Table 12.3.1 presents the
distribution of the population by the usual place of residence at the time of the census and in 1996. It
can be observed that urban areas have had a significant net gain in 2001. Some 4 percent of the people
who currently reside in urban areas were not usually living there in 1996. The corresponding
proportion for rural areas is slightly over 1 percent.
The regions of Erongo, Karas, Khomas, Omaheke and Otjozondjupa have had significant gains in
2001. Kavango region lost some people between the two periods under consideration. It is
worthwhile to find out where the people in the regions with significant net gain originated from. This
is presented in Table 12.3.2.
Table 12.3.1 Population distribution by usual place of residence in 2001 and 1996, Namibia, 2001 Census
Area 2001 1996 Difference % Net migration
Urban 464 356 445 775 18 581 4.0
Rural
1 103 980 1 088 583 15 397 1.4
Caprivi 69 562 69 896 - 334 -0.5
Erongo 88 421 81 224 7 197 8.1
Hardap 60 428 59 865 563 0.9
Karas 57 372 53 187 4 185 7.3
Kavango 172 982 177 517 -4 535 -2.6
Khomas 206 110 190 719 15 391 7.5
Kunene 56 416 55 386 1 030 1.8
Ohangwena 204 767 205 267 - 500 -0.2
Omaheke 58 773 56 500 2 273 3.9
Omusati 210 031 213 043 -3 012 -1.4
Oshana 137 185 137 900 - 715 -0.5
Oshikoto 136 284 135 039 1 245 0.9
Otjozondjupa 110 005 98 815 11 190 10.2
In Erongo region, 78 percent of the population who were usually residing there in 2001 were also there
in 1996. The remaining 22 percent were residing elsewhere. Out of these, 18 percent were living in
Khomas region, while over 40 percent were residing in the northern regions of Ohangwena, Omusati,
Oshana and Oshikoto. In the case of Karas region, 81 percent of the usual residents in 2001 were also
there in 1996. Out of those who had moved into the region, 18 percent originated from Khomas
region, while over 40 percent came from the northern regions of Kavango, Ohangwena, Omusati and
Oshana.
With regard to Khomas region, about 79 percent of the resident population in 2001 were also there in
1996. Again, over 40 percent of those who had moved to the region originated from the northern
regions. It should be noted that 12 percent of those who had moved into the region between 1996 and
2001 came from outside Namibia. As for Otjozondjupa region, 78 percent of the resident population
during the census period was residing there in 1996. Over 25 percent of those who had moved into the
region came from Kavango and Khomas regions. About 30 percent of the migrants into the region
originated from outside Namibia.
Chapter 12 Migration
80
Table 12.3.2 Usual place of resident population aged 5 years and above in 2001 by place of residence in
1996, selected regions, Namibia, 2001 Census
Erongo region Karas region
1996 place of usual residence Number Percent 1996 place of usual residence Number Percent
Erongo region 68 848 77.9 Karas region 46 294 80.7
Outside Erongo region 19 573 22.1 Outside Karas region 11 078 19.3
Total
88 421 100.0 Total 57 372 100.0
Place of origin Number Percent Place of origin Number Percent
Caprivi 237 1.2 Caprivi 480 4.3
Hardap 899 4.6 Erongo 568 5.1
Karas 652 3.3 Hardap 1 030 9.3
Kavango 706 3.6 Kavango 1 461 13.2
Khomas 3 569 18.2 Khomas 1 973 17.8
Kunene 1 473 7.5 Kunene 118 1.1
Ohangwena 2 266 11.6 Ohangwena 903 8.2
Omaheke 358 1.8 Omaheke 281 2.5
Omusati 2 351 12.0 Omusati 1 013 9.1
Oshana 1 980 10.1 Oshana 1 136 10.3
Oshikoto 1 510 7.7 Oshikoto 464 4.2
Otjozondjupa 1 807 9.2 Otjozondjupa 291 2.6
Outside Namibia 850 4.3 Outside Namibia 625 5.6
Not stated 915 4.7 Not stated 735 6.6
Total 19 573 100.0 Total 11 078 100.0
Khomas region Otjozondjupa region
1996 place of usual residence Number Percent 1996 place of usual residence Number Percent
Khomas region 163 235 79.2 Otjozondjupa region 85 629 77.8
Outside Khomas region 42 875 20.8 Outside Otjozondjupa region 24 376 22.2
Total
206 110 100.0 Total 110 005 100.0
Place of origin Number Percent Place of origin Number Percent
Caprivi 1 319 3.1 Caprivi 436 1.8
Erongo 3 325 7.8 Erongo 1 325 5.4
Hardap 2 757 6.4 Hardap 339 1.4
Karas 1 914 4.5 Karas 232 1.0
Kavango 2 498 5.8 Kavango 3 774 15.5
Kunene 756 1.8 Khomas 2 569 10.5
Ohangwena 5 358 12.5 Kunene 990 4.1
Omaheke 2 217 5.2 Ohangwena 1 019 4.2
Omusati 5 367 12.5 Omaheke 676 2.8
Oshana 3 836 8.9 Omusati 1 072 4.4
Oshikoto 2 915 6.8 Oshana 1 059 4.3
Otjozondjupa 3 026 7.1 Oshikoto 1 747 7.2
Outside Namibia 5 130 12.0 Outside Namibia 7 418 30.4
Not stated 2 457 5.7 Not stated 1 720 7.1
Total 42 875 100.0 Total 24 376 100.0
Appendix 1
81
Appendix 1: Census Definitions of Concepts and Classifications
In this appendix the concepts and classifications used in the 2001 Population and Housing Census are
defined. These concepts and classifications were based on regional and international recommendations
with adaptations to suit local conditions.
Geographic and Migration Concepts
Namibia consisted of 13 Regions, namely Caprivi, Erongo, Hardap, Karas, Kavango, Khomas,
Kunene, Ohangwena, Omaheke, Omusati, Oshana, Oshikoto and Otjozondjupa.
Locality/village For the purpose of this Census a locality/village was defined as a distinct population
cluster, irrespective of size, in which people lived and which had a name or locally
recognized status.
Urban locality Urban localities referred to the municipalities and townships, which at the Census time
had been so proclaimed by the Government.
Rural locality All other localities not included in the urban classification were regarded as rural.
These included localities proclaimed as villages and other settlements.
Place of birth The usual place of residence of respondents mother at the time of respondents birth.
Place of usual
residence
The town or village where a person usually lived, i.e. where a person had lived for the
past 6 months, or intended to live for the next 6 months.
Demographic and Social Concepts
Household A person or group of persons, related or unrelated, living together in the same
house/dwelling and having the same catering arrangements.
Head of
household
The person of either sex who was looked upon by the other members of the household as
their leader or main decision-maker.
Citizenship The country of which the respondent was a legal citizen either by birth or by naturalisation.
Disability A limitation or difficulty in carrying out everyday activities at home, at work or at school,
due to long term physical or mental condition resulting from health problems, birth defects or
accidents.
Definitions used at different levels of disability were as follows:
Blind: persons who were totally blind in one or both eyes. It also included persons who had
difficulty seeing in one or both eyes even with glasses.
Deaf: persons who were totally unable to hear in one ear or who were only able to hear with
great difficulty. It also included persons who had difficulty hearing even with hearing
aids.
Impaired speech: persons who were unable to speak and those who had difficulty in
communicating or being understood.
Impaired limbs: persons with problems of movement, standing, grasping due to deformity,
amputation, paralysis or other sickness. Persons who were using clutches, wheelchairs,
artificial limbs and other walking or grasping aids were also classified under this
category.
Mentally disabled: persons who were mentally retarded and those who were mentally sick
were classified under this category.
Appendix 1
82
Marital
status
The question on marital status was asked to all persons. It was defined as the personal status
of persons in relation to the marriage laws or customs of the country.
The definitions used for the various categories of marital status were as follows:
(i) Never married: persons who had never married before in their lifetime.
(ii) Married legally or customarily: persons who during the reference period were married
under the legal systems of the country or the customs of the local area. These are
categorized into the following:
a) Married with certificate:
b) Married traditionally:
(iii) Married consensually: persons of the opposite sex living together as husband and wife
without any legal or customary ceremony.
(iv) Separated: married persons who were not living together as husband and wife but who
had not been legally or customarily divorced.
(v) Divorced: persons whose marriage had been cancelled legally or customarily and not
remarried.
(vi) Widowed: persons whose spouses were dead and were not married at the time of the
Census.
Early Childhood Development
One question on participation in Early Childhood Development was presented to children aged
between 3 and 6 years, inclusive. The categories are given below:
No Did not participate.
Crèches/
Kinder-
gartens
These are found in both urban and rural areas. They cater for children from 2 to 5
years of age. Children learn social skills such as how to play with others, wash their
hands and many others.
Day Care
Centres/
Nursery
School
These are the ones that cater for very young children, even less than one year olds to
4 year olds. These centres are mainly found in urban areas and are privately owned.
The children learn social skills and are also prepared for primary school. They are
mainly utilized by working parents with young children.
Pre-primary These are mainly found in urban areas and serve as preparatory courses before entry
into grade one in primary school education cycle. Pre-primary cater for children of 5
to 6 years old.
Literacy and Education Concepts
Questions on literacy and educational concepts were restricted to respondents aged 6 years and above.
Literacy The ability to write and read with understanding in any language. Persons who could
read and not write were classified as non-literate. Similarly, persons who were able to
write and not read were classified as non-literate.
School
attendance
Attendance at any regular public or private educational institution, for systematic
instruction at any level of instruction.
Educational
attainment
The highest standard, grade or years completed by respondent at the highest level of
school, college or university attended.
Appendix 1
83
Economic Items
Questions on economic characteristics were restricted to persons aged 8 years and above and referred
to the last 7 days preceding the Census Reference Night.
Type of
activity
The activity status of the respondents during the reference period.
The following are the definitions of the various categories of economic activity status used:
(i) Worked: Those who worked for at least one hour for pay, profit or family gain
during the reference period.
(ii) Temporarily out of work: Those who did not work, but have a job or a business or a
form, but who were temporarily not at work during the reference period for any
specific reason.
(iii) Unemployed (worked before): The unemployed include all persons aged 8 years and
above, who, during the reference period, were not in any paid employment or self-
employment and were actively looking for work and were available for work if they
were offered jobs.
(iv) Unemployed (first time job seekers): Person, male or female, who did not work,
were actively looking for work and were available but have never worked before.
(v) Students: This category includes all persons, male or female, aged 8 years and
above who, during the reference period, were attending school and who were not in
any paid employment or enterprise and were not available for work.
(vi) Homemakers: All persons, male or female, who are aged 8 years and above, and
who, during the reference period, were wholly engaged in household duties and
were neither engaged in any paid or self-employment nor available for work.
(vii) Income recipient: These are persons, male or female, who were not in any paid or
self-employment during the reference period but who received income from rents or
other investments.
(viii) Severely disabled: These are persons, male or female, who were not working and
were not available for work during the reference period because of their severe
disability or handicap by society.
(ix) Retired: These are persons who are retired or pensioned and not in any paid or self-
employment.
(x) Old age: These are persons who are not in any paid or self-employment and not
working because of old age.
(xi) Other: This category includes persons who reside in prisons, hospitals or other
institutions during the reference period.
Occupation The kind of work done during the reference period by those who worked or had a business
and by those who are unemployed but had previously worked.
Industry The type of goods produced or services provided or business or function or work carried
out at the respondents workplace (if employed) or previous workplace (if unemployed
worked before). This information classifies the persons workplace into the right industry.
Appendix 1
84
Status in
employment
All employed persons of either sex, age 8 years and over, were classified in one of the
categories below:
(i) Subsistence or communal farmer with paid employees: A person who, for at least
one hour during the reference period, operated his or her own Subsistence or
Communal farm and hired one or more employees.
(ii) Subsistence or communal farmer without paid employees: Own account workers are
those who, for at least one hour during the period, operated their own subsistence or
communal farm, without paid employees, and worked for own consumption or
profit. Included in this category are only the subsistence/communal farmers. These
are people who are in crop farming (e.g. Mahangu farmers, Maize farmers, etc.) or
animal farming (cattle, chickens, etc.)
(iii) Other employer with paid employees: A person who, for at least one hour during the
reference period, operated his or her own economic enterprise or engaged
independently in a profession or trade, and hired one or more employees.
(iv) Other own account worker without paid employees: Own account workers are those
who, for at least one hour during the period, operated their own enterprise, e.g.
farmer, petty trader or carpenter, without paid employees, and worked for own
consumption or profit. These are people who are in business themselves, basket
weavers, traditional beer makers, etc. Persons who were selling fruit or vegetables
under trees; wayside barbers and homemakers who in addition to household duties
collect and sell firewood, make and sell traditional beer, milk cattle and sell milk
etc. are also included in this category.
(v) Employee, government and state enterprise (Parastatal): This category includes
those who, for at least one hour during the reference period, worked for, and were
paid from the government including state enterprises.
(vi) Employee, private: These include those who, for at least one hour during the
reference period, worked for a private employer and were paid either wages, salary,
commission, tips, contract or in kind by the employer. Paid family workers are also
included here.
(vii) Unpaid family worker (subsistence/communal farmer): Unpaid family workers refer
to those members of the household who are related to the head/spouse of the
household and who, for at least one hour during the reference period, worked
without pay or profit in the subsistence/communal farm owned by the household.
(viii) Other unpaid family worker: Unpaid family workers refer to those members of the
household who are related to the head/spouse of the household and who, for at least
one hour during the reference period, worked in the enterprise operated by the
household without pay or profit.
Appendix 1
85
Housing Conditions
Type of
housing unit
Type of housing refers to a separate and independent living premises occupied by the
household.
The categories used were as follows:
(i) Detached house: Is a house on its own or without an outhouse and not
attached to another house
(ii) Semi- detached/town house: Is a house, which is attached to another but with
its own facilities and a separate entrance.
(iii) Apartments/flat: Is a self-contained living premise in a building with one or
more floors. All apartments or flats in the building will have a common
entrance.
(iv) Guest flat: Is a self-contained, separated living premises in the same
compound as a detached house, and usually on outhouse of the detached
house.
(v) Part commercial or industrial or business: These are living premises, which
are also used for commercial or industrial purposes. A housing unit, which is
partly used as a bottle store or a supermarket, or a workshop, will come under
this category.
(vi) Mobile homes (caravans, tents): Refer to living premises, which could be
shifted or transplanted or transported, such as tents, caravans, etc.
(vii) Single quarters: Consists of either a room or a set of rooms with shared toilet
and kitchen facilities.
(viii) Traditional dwelling: A housing unit consisting of a hut or a group of huts
walled or un-walled with sticks, poles with or without thatch or grass.
Ongandas come under this category.
(ix) Improvised housing units (shacks): These are housing units built of discarded
materials, such as cardboards, plastic sheeting, flattened empty tins, etc.
Derelict vehicles and carts used as housing are also classified in this category.
(x) Other: Any other type of housing unit not specified above.
Tenure The information on status of tenure indicates whether the dwelling unit was owner
occupied or rented by the household.
The categories used were as follows:
(i) Rented (not tied to the job): The renting of dwelling units under this category
is independent from any household members job.
(ii) Owner occupied (with Mortgage): The dwelling unit may be owned by one of
the household members who is still paying mortgage on it.
(iii) Owner occupied (without mortgage): Under this category the dwelling unit is
entirely owned by one of the household members. E.g. the structure has been
bought cash or paid off or self-constructed or inherited.
(iv) Rent free (not owner occupied): The house is not owned by any of the
household members and is occupied rent-free.
(v) Provided by employer (Government): The house is provided by the
Government to one of the household members even though some rent is paid.
(vi) Provided by employer (Private): The house is provided by a private employer
to one of the household members even though some rent is paid.
(vii) Other: This covers any other form of tenure, which does not fall in any of the
above categories.
Appendix 1
86
Number of
Rooms
The number of rooms included all rooms used for sleeping by a household. If a
garage was used as a sleeping room it was also counted. Kitchens, bathrooms, toilets,
stoeps and verandas were excluded.
In addition some household members used traditional or other outhouses as sleeping
quarters. In this case the number of sleeping rooms were included in the number of
rooms in the main building plus rooms for sleeping in other units.
Material used
for outer walls
The information required was the main material used for constructing the outer walls
i.e. the main frame of the building.
The categories used were as follows:
(i) Cement blocks/bricks: This category refers to buildings with cement blocks or
bricks as the main material used.
(ii) Burnt bricks/face bricks: This category covers buildings with burnt bricks as
the main material used for constructing outer walls.
(iii) Mud/clay bricks: This is usually found in traditional houses. It is bricks
formed from treated or seasoned mud/clay, which is sometimes mixed with
cow dung.
(iv) Corrugated iron sheets: is referred to if the outer walls of the building are
constructed mainly with corrugated iron sheets.
(v) Prefabricated material: These are walls, which are constructed with concrete
slabs, fibreglass, asbestos and cement, gunnite, hardboard, wood and asbestos
or wood only.
(vi) Wooden poles, sticks and grass: If wooden poles or sticks with or without
grass (thatch) are used for the construction of outer walls.
(vii) Sticks with mud or cow-dung: is referred to if the sticks used for the outer
walls are covered with mud or cow-dung.
(viii) Other: If the outer walls are constructed with materials other than the ones
listed.
Material used
for the roof
In the context of the Census roof refers to the upper covering of the house. If a
household is occupying the ground floor of a 2-storeyed house and concrete slabs are
used for separating the ground floor from the 1st floor and the top of the building i.e.
the upper floor is covered with corrugated iron sheets then the material for the roof
for all the housing units in the building will be corrugated iron sheets.
The categories used were as follows:
(i) Corrugated iron sheets: This category refers to buildings with roofs of
corrugated iron sheets
(ii) Asbestos sheets: This category covers buildings with roofs constructed with
asbestos sheets
(iii) Brick tiles: These are buildings with brick tiles as roofs
(iv) Slate: Slate is a type of a rock, which easily brakes, in thin layers; these layers
are often used for roofing.
(v) Wood covered with melthoid..
(vi) Thatch, grass: referred to if the roof is thatched with grass.
(vii) Sticks, mud and cow-dung: referred to if the roofing material of a building is
made out of sticks, mud and cow-dung.
(viii) Other: For roofing materials, which do not fall into any of these categories.
Appendix 1
87
Material used
for the floor
The information required here was the main material used for constructing the floor
i.e. the bottom part of the building.
The categories used were as follows:
(i) Sand: This is when there is no artificial material on the floor. The floor is only
the natural environment (earth).
(ii) Cement: If the floor of the house is constructed with cement or even when the
cement on the floor is covered with tiles or carpet.
(iii) Mud/clay: This is usually found in traditional houses. It is treated or seasoned
mud/clay, which is sometimes mixed with cow dung.
(iv) Other, specify: If the floor is constructed with materials other than the ones
listed above.
Main source of
water for
drinking and
cooking and
Distance to the
water source
A measure of the well-being of Namibians is the proportion of households that have
access to clean (potable) water. Distance to the water source also helps to derive
times taken to collect households water needs. This information helps derive areas
with serious water problems.
The categories used were as follows:
(i) Piped water inside the house: Water drawn from pipes installed in the house
and originating from a central source- river, pond, lake or borehole.
(ii) Piped water outside: Water drawn from pipes installed in a homestead, but not
inside the house, and originating from a central source- river, pond, lake or
borehole.
(iii) Public pipe: Water drawn from pipes installed in a locality to serve the whole
locality and originating from a central source- river, pond, lake or borehole.
(iv) Borehole: Same as wells, but deeper and has a pump for drawing water.
(v) Borehole with open tank: This is a borehole where the water drawn is pumped
into an open tank right next to it.
(vi) Borehole with tank covered: This is a borehole where the water drawn is
pumped into a tank which is covered right next to it.
(vii) River/stream/cam: A river or naturally flowing source of water or reservoir
formed by man by building a barrier across a river to hold back water.
(viii) Canal: Man-made open flowing water source.
(ix) Well, protected: A man-made hole/shaft dug in the ground from which water
is obtained. Water is drawn using buckets. A protected well has a fence and/or
a cover.
(x) Well, unprotected: A man-made hole/shaft dug in the ground from which
water is obtained. Water is drawn using buckets. An unprotected well does
not have a fence around it.
Appendix 1
88
Main source of
energy for
cooking,
lighting and
heating
The questions referred to the source of energy most often used during the year.
The codes for source of energy for cooking were:
(i) Electricity
(ii) Paraffin
(iii) Wood/Charcoal from wood
(iv) Gas
(v) Charcoal - coal
(vi) Solar
(vii) No cooking
(viii) Other
The codes for source of energy for lighting were:
(i) Electricity
(ii) Paraffin
(iii) Candle
(iv) Gas
(v) Solar
(vi) Wood
(vii) Other
The codes for source of energy for heating were:
(i) Electricity
(ii) Paraffin
(iii) Wood/Wood charcoal
(iv) Gas
(v) Charcoal - coal
(vi) Solar
(vii) No heating
(viii) Other
Access to
means of
communication
This question provides data on how news and other information reached the
household. The categories below refer to accessibility to the facility/service and not
ownership:
(i) Television
(ii) Radio
(iii) Newspaper, daily
(iv) Newspaper, occasionally
(v) Telephone/cell
(vi) Computer
Appendix 1
89
Type of toilet
facility
This information provides a measure of sanitation level of the household since
these facilities are important for disease control and health improvement.
The categories used were as follows:
(i) The household has water closet or flush toilet used only by the household
members and their visitors
(ii) The household shares water closet or flush toilet with other households
(iii) The household members use VIP (Ventilated improved pit latrine),
(iv) The household members use Pit latrine, long drop.
(v) The household members use bucket or pail
(vi) The household members use the bush (no toilet facility)
(vii) Other
Garbage and
refuse disposal
This information can be used in obtaining the hygienic level of the household
since these facilities are important for disease control and health improvement.
The categories used were as follows:
(i) The household garbage is regularly collected
(ii) The household garbage is irregularly collected
(iii) The household garbage is incinerated
(iv) The household garbage is dumped on the roadside
(v) Rubbish pit usage
(vi) Other
The
households
main source of
income
The purpose of this question was to collect information on the survival of the
household, since these aspects are very important for the elimination of
poverty and hunger and the improvement of the living standard of the people.
The main source of income did not only refer to money, but could also be the
main products produced for consumption (e.g. some farmers cultivate and
depend on Mahangu. In this case farming is the main source of income).
The categories used were as follows:
(i) Farming
(ii) Business activities (non farming)
(iii) Wages and salaries
(iv) Pension
(v) Cash remittance
(vi) Other
Appendix 1
90
Fertility and Mortality
Live birth A child born alive is one who cries after being born. Thus, a live birth is a birth,
which results in a child that shows any sign of life irrespective of the time or period
within which these signs are manifested. Miscarriages or abortions and stillbirths are
not live births.
Lifetime fertility Questions on this topic were limited to female respondents aged 12 to 49 years
irrespective of their marital status. The four types of data collected on this topic were
as follows:
(i) Children ever born: the total number of live births by the respondent during her
lifetime. These were then split into three categories:
a) Those who with the mother during the census night.
b) Those who were living elsewhere on census night.
c) Those who were not alive.
Current fertility The number of children born alive to respondent (females aged 12-49 years) during
the 12-month period preceding the Census night.
Infant mortality This is defined as the probability of a newborn not surviving to its first birthday. It is
usually expressed as the number of infant deaths per 1000 live births. This was
estimated from children ever born and those surviving.
Child mortality The indicator used for child mortality is the under five mortality rate which is the
number of under five deaths per 1000 live births. This was estimated from children
ever born and those surviving.
Life Expectancy Life expectancy at birth provides a mortality indicator for the whole population. This
is defined as the average number of years expected to be lived by a new born if it is
exposed to the current mortality pattern of the population.
Appendix 2
91
Appendix 2: Main Questionnaire
Appendix 2
92
Main Questionnaire page 2
Appendix 3
93
Appendix 3: Detailed tables
Chapter and table Page
Population Structure and Composition
2.1 Total Population by sex and single year i
2.2 - 2.17 Population distribution by age group and sex ii
2.18 - 2.33 Population distribution by broad age group and sex vi
2.34 - 2.36 Household Population by age group and sex viii
2.37 Institutional Population by age group and sex viii
2.38 Special Population by age group and sex ix
2.39 Total Population by age group and type ix
2.40 - 2.55 Total Population by sex and marital status x
Disability
3.1 Disabled Population by area and sex xiii
3.2 Population by disability status, area and sex xiii
3.3 Population by disability status, region and sex xiv
Early Childhood Development
4.1 Children aged 3-6 years attending Early Childhood Development
Programme by area, age and sex xv
4.2 Children aged 3-6 years attending Early Childhood Development
Programme by region, age and sex xvi
Education and Literacy
5.1 - 5.33 Population by School Attendance and age group xvii
5.34 - 5.49 School enrolment for the population aged 6-24 years by age and sex xxv
5.50 - 5.65 Population 15 years and above by literacy, age group and sex xxxiii
Labour Force
6.1 - 6.3 Population aged 15 + by sex, age and activity status xlii
6.4 Labour Force Participation Rate and Unemployment Rate, population
aged 15 + by age and sex xliii
6.5 - 6.20 Population aged 15 + by activity status and sex xliii
Household Composition and Characteristics
7.1 - 7.16 Households and population lii
7.17 - 7.32 Household Population by sex and relationship to head of household lv
7.33 - 7.48 Households by access to selected facilities lxi
7.49 - 7.64 Household population by main source of income lxiii
Appendix 3
94
Chapter and table Page
Housing Conditions
8.1 - 8.16 Households and population by type of housing unit lxvi
8.17 - 8.32 Households and population by type of tenure lxix
8.33 - 8.48 Households and population by number of rooms lxxii
8.49 - 8.64 Households and population by main material used for the roof lxxvi
8.65 - 8.80 Households and population by main material used for outer walls lxxviii
8.81 - 8.96 Households and population by main material used for the floor lxxxi
8.97 - 8.112 Households and population by main source of energy for cooking lxxxiii
8.113 - 8.128 Households and population by main source of energy for lighting lxxxvi
8.129 - 8.144 Households and population by main source of energy for heating lxxxix
Water Supply and Sanitation
9.1 - 9.16 Households and population by main source of water supply xcii
9.17 - 9.32 Households and population by walking distance to water source xcv
9.33 - 9.48 Households by means of refuse disposal xcviii
9.49 - 9.64 Households and population by type of toilet facility ci
Fertility
10.1 - 10.16 Children ever born to mothers 12 - 49 years of age civ
10.17 - 10.32 Births in the last 12 months cix
Mortality and Orphanhood
11.1 - 11.16 Households with a death and the number of deaths by year cxv
11.17 - 11.32 Deaths in 2001 by age group and sex cxvii
11.33 - 11.48 Population by orphanage, age group and sex cxxi
Migration
12.1 - 12.2 Total population by place of enumeration and place of usual residence cxxix
12.3 12.4 Total population by place of usual residence in 2001 and place of usual
residence 1996 cxxx
12.5 12.6 Total population of place of usual residence and place of birth cxxxi