If you lived in Namibia instead of Canada, you would:

Health

be 29.7% less likely to be obese

In Canada, 26.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Namibia, that number is 18.3% of people as of 2024.

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be 90.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Canada, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2022. In Namibia, that number is 9.0% of people as of 2024.

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live 14.6 years less

In Canada, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Namibia, that number is 68 years (63 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 86.0% less spent on your healthcare

Canada spends $7,646 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Namibia spends $1,068 as of 2023.

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have 80.4% fewer doctors per person

Canada has 28.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Namibia has 5.5 as of 2022.

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have 30.8% less access to essential health services

Canada scores 91 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Namibia scores 63 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 2.8 times more likely to be unemployed

In Canada, 6.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Namibia, that number is 19.3% as of 2025.

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make 91.2% less money

Canada has a GDP per capita of $55,698 as of 2025, while in Namibia, the GDP per capita is $4,876 as of 2025.

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Life

have 2.9 times more children

In Canada, there are approximately 8.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Namibia, there are 25.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 11.6 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Canada, approximately 12.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Namibia, 139.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 7.7 times more likely to die during infancy

In Canada, approximately 4.7 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Namibia, on the other hand, 36.4 children do as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 43.3% less likely to have access to electricity

In Canada, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Namibia, that number is 57% of people on average (75% in urban areas, and 34% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 31.2% less likely to have internet access

In Canada, approximately 94.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Namibia, about 64.9% do as of 2024.

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be 12.0% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Canada, approximately 98% of people have access to drinking water (98% in urban areas, and 98% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Namibia, that number is 87% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 74% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 16.2% less on healthcare

Canada spends 11.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Namibia, that number is 9.5% of GDP as of 2023.

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spend 87.6% more on education

Canada spends 4.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Namibia spends 9.1% of total GDP on education as of 2024.

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Geography

see 99.2% less coastline

Canada has a total of 202,080 km of coastline. In Namibia, that number is 1,572 km.

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Safety

be 5.7 times more likely to be murdered

Canada has a homicide rate of 2.0 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Namibia, that number is 11.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 4.7 times more likely to die in a road accident

In Canada, road accidents kill 4.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Namibia, they kill 22.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

live with 91.7% less strain on fresh water

Canada withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Namibia withdraws 0% as of 2022.

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find 93.3% less home broadband

Canada has 42.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Namibia has 2.8 as of 2024.

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use 91.3% less electricity

Canada uses 14,093 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Namibia uses 1,232 kWh as of 2023.

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Environment

emit 91.4% less CO2

Canada emits 14.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Namibia emits 1.2 tonnes as of 2024.

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be 5.4 times more likely to die from air pollution

In Canada, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Namibia, it causes 43.0 as of 2019.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Namibia: At a glance

Namibia is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 823,290 sq km. South Africa occupied the German colony of South-West Africa during World War I and administered it as a mandate until after World War II, when it annexed the territory. In 1966 the Marxist South-West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) guerrilla group launched a war of independence for the area that became Namibia, but it was not until 1988 that South Africa agreed to end its administration in accordance with a UN peace plan for the entire region. Namibia has been governed by SWAPO since the country won independence in 1990. Hifikepunye POHAMBA was elected president in November 2004 in a landslide victory replacing Sam NUJOMA who led the country during its first 14 years of self rule. POHAMBA was reelected in November 2009.
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How big is Namibia compared to Canada? See an in-depth size comparison.

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