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

Health

be 48.1% less likely to be obese

In Jamaica, 35.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Namibia, that number is 18.3% of people as of 2024.

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see 23.0% more spent on your healthcare

Jamaica spends $869 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Namibia spends $1,068 as of 2023.

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have 20.2% more doctors per person

Jamaica has 4.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Namibia has 5.5 as of 2022.

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be 8.2 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Jamaica, 1.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Namibia, that number is 9.0% of people as of 2024.

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live 4.1 years less

In Jamaica, the average life expectancy is 72 years (69 years for men, 74 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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have 14.9% less access to essential health services

Jamaica scores 74 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Namibia scores 63 as of 2021.

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be 5.1 times more likely to die by suicide

Jamaica has a suicide rate of 1.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Namibia, it is 8.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 5.9 times more likely to be unemployed

In Jamaica, 3.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Namibia, that number is 19.3% as of 2025.

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make 39.1% less money

Jamaica has a GDP per capita of $8,003 as of 2025, while in Namibia, the GDP per capita is $4,876 as of 2025.

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Life

have 2.3 times more children

In Jamaica, there are approximately 11.4 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 2.2 times more likely to die during infancy

In Jamaica, approximately 16.4 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 42.0% less likely to have access to electricity

In Jamaica, approximately 98% of people have electricity access (99% in urban areas, and 96% 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 28.0% less likely to have internet access

In Jamaica, approximately 90.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Namibia, about 64.9% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 64.8% more on education

Jamaica spends 5.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Namibia spends 9.1% of total GDP on education as of 2024.

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spend 24.7% more on healthcare

Jamaica spends 7.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Namibia, that number is 9.5% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 53.8% more coastline

Jamaica has a total of 1,022 km of coastline. In Namibia, that number is 1,572 km.

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Safety

be 77.3% less likely to be murdered

Jamaica has a homicide rate of 49.4 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 23.6% more likely to die in a road accident

In Jamaica, road accidents kill 17.8 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 97.5% less strain on fresh water

Jamaica withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Namibia withdraws 0% as of 2022.

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find 82.3% less home broadband

Jamaica has 16.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Namibia has 2.8 as of 2024.

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Environment

emit 57.7% less CO2

Jamaica emits 2.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Namibia emits 1.2 tonnes as of 2024.

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be 95.5% more likely to die from air pollution

In Jamaica, air pollution causes 22.0 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 Jamaica? See an in-depth size comparison.

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