WINDHOEK, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- Namibia's unemployment rate in 2023 stood at 36.9 percent, up 3.5 percentage points from 33.4 percent in 2018, according to the latest Labor Force Survey of the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA).
The NSA conducted the previous labor survey in 2018.
According to the 2023 Population and Housing Census Labor Force Report, launched Wednesday by NSA Statistician-General Alex Shimuafeni, Namibia's working-age population (15 years and older) in 2023 stood at 1,876,122, of which 867,247 were part of the labor force (employed or actively seeking employment), while 1,008,875 were not in the labor force.
"Of the 867,247 persons in the labor force, the employed population was estimated at 546,805 and the unemployed population was 320,442, resulting in an unemployment rate of 36.9 percent," Shimuafeni said.
The report also highlighted a decline in both the employment-to-population ratio (EPR) and the labor force participation rate. The EPR, now at 29.1 percent, indicates that less than a third of the working-age population is employed.
According to the report, youth unemployment fell slightly, from 46.1 percent in 2018, to 44.4 percent in 2023.
