Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United States instead of Namibia, you would:
Health
live 11.4 years longer
In Namibia, the average life expectancy is 68 years (63 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024. In United States, that number is 79 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
see 12.6 times more spent on your healthcare
Namibia spends $1,068 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). United States spends $13,473 as of 2023.
have 6.7 times more doctors per person
Namibia has 5.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. United States has 36.8 as of 2022.
have 36.5% more access to essential health services
Namibia scores 63 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. United States scores 86 as of 2021.
be 2.2 times more likely to be obese
In Namibia, 18.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In United States, that number is 41.0% of people as of 2024.
be 82.0% more likely to die by suicide
Namibia has a suicide rate of 8.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In United States, it is 15.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 78.2% less likely to be unemployed
In Namibia, 19.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In United States, that number is 4.2% as of 2025.
make 18.5 times more money
Namibia has a GDP per capita of $4,876 as of 2025, while in United States, the GDP per capita is $90,027 as of 2025.
Life
be 87.8% less likely to die during childbirth
In Namibia, approximately 139.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In United States, 17.0 women do as of 2023.
be 84.9% less likely to die during infancy
In Namibia, approximately 36.4 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In United States, on the other hand, 5.5 children do as of 2024.
have 59.1% fewer children
In Namibia, there are approximately 25.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In United States, there are 10.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 76.4% more likely to have access to electricity
In Namibia, approximately 57% of people have electricity access (75% in urban areas, and 34% in rural areas) as of 2023. In United States, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 46.0% more likely to have internet access
In Namibia, approximately 64.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In United States, about 94.7% do as of 2024.
be 15.6% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Namibia, approximately 87% of people have access to drinking water (96% in urban areas, and 74% in rural areas) as of 2024. In United States, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 40.3% less on education
Namibia spends 9.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. United States spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 76.1% more on healthcare
Namibia spends 9.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In United States, that number is 16.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 12.7 times more coastline
Namibia has a total of 1,572 km of coastline. In United States, that number is 19,924 km.
Safety
be 48.6% less likely to be murdered
Namibia has a homicide rate of 11.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In United States, that number is 5.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 35.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Namibia, road accidents kill 22.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In United States, they kill 14.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 13.7 times more home broadband
Namibia has 2.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. United States has 38.9 as of 2024.
use 10.4 times more electricity
Namibia uses 1,232 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. United States uses 12,839 kWh as of 2024.
live with 90.8 times more strain on fresh water
Namibia withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. United States withdraws 28% as of 2022.
Environment
be 67.4% less likely to die from air pollution
In Namibia, air pollution causes 43.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In United States, it causes 14.0 as of 2019.
emit 11.3 times more CO2
Namibia emits 1.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. United States emits 13.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Namibia vs. United States
United States: At a glance
How big is United States compared to Namibia? See an in-depth size comparison.