Rural poverty in Namibia

Although Namibia is classified as a middle-income country, the income gap between rich and poor is one of the most marked in the world. The government has made good progress in addressing structural problems such as gender parity and access to basic education, yet the situation of imbalance persists. Although a tiny proportion of the population enjoys considerable wealth, overall poverty rates are high. About 27.6 per cent of households are classified as poor and 13.8 per cent as severely poor; poverty is especially prevalent in rural areas.

About 70 per cent of the population lives in rural areas, and about 60 per cent are concentrated in the seven northern regions. The rural poor are typically undereducated, with limited access to health care, adequate sanitation and gas and electricity supplies. Food shortages are a major problem during years of drought, and nutritional intake is consistently poor.

Namibia is unusual in the region in that rural people are less dependent on agriculture than their counterparts in other countries. Sources such as pensions and remittances provide important additional income for many subsistence farmers.

Namibia has one of the highest incidences of HIV/AIDS in the region. The epidemic is a major factor in the incidence of poverty and vulnerability among the rural population.