Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Namibia instead of Norway, you would:
Health
be 34.9% less likely to die by suicide
Norway has a suicide rate of 13.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Namibia, it is 8.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 90.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Norway, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Namibia, that number is 9.0% of people as of 2024.
live 15.6 years less
In Norway, the average life expectancy is 83 years (82 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024. In Namibia, that number is 68 years (63 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.
see 88.8% less spent on your healthcare
Norway spends $9,523 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Namibia spends $1,068 as of 2023.
have 88.9% fewer doctors per person
Norway has 49.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Namibia has 5.5 as of 2022.
have 27.6% less access to essential health services
Norway scores 87 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Namibia scores 63 as of 2021.
Economy
be 4.2 times more likely to be unemployed
In Norway, 4.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Namibia, that number is 19.3% as of 2025.
make 94.8% less money
Norway has a GDP per capita of $94,594 as of 2025, while in Namibia, the GDP per capita is $4,876 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.7 times more children
In Norway, there are approximately 9.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Namibia, there are 25.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 139.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Norway, approximately 1.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Namibia, 139.0 women do as of 2023.
be 18.2 times more likely to die during infancy
In Norway, approximately 2.0 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.
Basic Needs
be 43.3% less likely to have access to electricity
In Norway, 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.
be 34.5% less likely to have internet access
In Norway, approximately 99.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Namibia, about 64.9% do as of 2024.
be 13.5% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Norway, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 100% 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.
Expenditures
spend 67.2% more on education
Norway spends 5.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Namibia spends 9.1% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 93.7% less coastline
Norway has a total of 25,148 km of coastline. In Namibia, that number is 1,572 km.
Safety
be 15.6 times more likely to be murdered
Norway has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Namibia, that number is 11.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 14.7 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Norway, road accidents kill 1.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Namibia, they kill 22.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 84.8% less strain on fresh water
Norway withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Namibia withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 93.7% less home broadband
Norway has 45.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Namibia has 2.8 as of 2024.
use 94.8% less electricity
Norway uses 23,673 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Namibia uses 1,232 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 83.3% less CO2
Norway emits 7.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Namibia emits 1.2 tonnes as of 2024.
be 5.4 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Norway, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Namibia, it causes 43.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Norway vs. Namibia
Namibia: At a glance
How big is Namibia compared to Norway? See an in-depth size comparison.