Food imports in Namibia
Namibia: Food imports was 13.2% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Food imports in Namibia, 2000–2024
Source: Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division. Measured in % of merchandise imports.
Analysis
Namibia recorded 13.2% for food imports in 2024.
That represents a change of down 2.2% on the previous year and up 15.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, food imports in Namibia peaked at 18.6% in 2004 and was at its lowest, 11.3%, in 2018.
That places Namibia 115th out of 196 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Food imports in Namibia, year by year
| Year | % of merchandise imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 16.9% | — |
| 2001 | 13.1% | -22.4% |
| 2002 | 12.6% | -4.2% |
| 2003 | 15.0% | +19.4% |
| 2004 | 18.6% | +23.9% |
| 2005 | 17.9% | -3.7% |
| 2006 | 16.2% | -9.5% |
| 2007 | 15.4% | -5.0% |
| 2008 | 14.0% | -9.2% |
| 2009 | 14.8% | +6.0% |
| 2010 | 14.9% | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 14.1% | -5.5% |
| 2012 | 13.0% | -7.6% |
| 2013 | 13.1% | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 11.4% | -12.5% |
| 2015 | 12.3% | +7.8% |
| 2016 | 12.8% | +3.5% |
| 2017 | 13.5% | +5.9% |
| 2018 | 11.3% | -16.5% |
| 2019 | 15.4% | +36.7% |
| 2020 | 16.3% | +5.8% |
| 2021 | 15.2% | -6.8% |
| 2022 | 13.6% | -10.3% |
| 2023 | 13.5% | -1.0% |
| 2024 | 13.2% | -2.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 15.5% | 12.6% | 18.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 13.2% | 11.3% | 15.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 14.4% | 13.2% | 16.3% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Namibia
More private sector data for Namibia
- Merchandise trade 102.4% (2025)
- Manufactures imports 60.4% (2024)
- Merchandise imports 8.43 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 28.0% (2024)
- Manufactures exports 18.4% (2024)
- Merchandise exports 7.02 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 2,271 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.4658 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 7.33 % change on previous year (2025)
- Merchandise imports (current US$), per capita 2,724 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is food imports in Namibia?
- Food imports in Namibia was 13.2% in 2024, according to Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division.
- What is the highest food imports recorded in Namibia?
- The highest recorded value was 18.6% in 2004.
- What is the lowest food imports recorded in Namibia?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.3% in 2018.
- How does Namibia rank for food imports?
- Namibia ranks 115th out of 196 countries with data for 2024.
- Is food imports rising or falling in Namibia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Namibia data come from?
- The figures come from Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division, published as part of Food imports (% of merchandise imports). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Food comprises the commodities in SITC (Rev. 3) sections 0 (food and live animals), 1 (beverages and tobacco), and 4 (animal and vegetable oils and fats) and division 22 (oil seeds, oil nuts, and oil kernels). This indicator is expressed as a percentage of merchandise imports which is comprised of goods whose economic ownership is changed between a non-resident and a resident and that are not included in the following specific categories: goods under merchanting, non-monetary gold, and parts of travel, construction, and government goods and services n.i.e.