Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Namibia instead of United States, you would:
Health
be 55.4% less likely to be obese
In United States, 41.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Namibia, that number is 18.3% of people as of 2024.
be 45.0% less likely to die by suicide
United States has a suicide rate of 15.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Namibia, it is 8.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 11.4 years less
In United States, the average life expectancy is 79 years (76 years for men, 81 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 92.1% less spent on your healthcare
United States spends $13,473 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Namibia spends $1,068 as of 2023.
have 85.0% fewer doctors per person
United States has 36.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Namibia has 5.5 as of 2022.
have 26.7% less access to essential health services
United States scores 86 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Namibia scores 63 as of 2021.
Economy
be 4.6 times more likely to be unemployed
In United States, 4.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Namibia, that number is 19.3% as of 2025.
make 94.6% less money
United States has a GDP per capita of $90,027 as of 2025, while in Namibia, the GDP per capita is $4,876 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.4 times more children
In United States, there are approximately 10.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Namibia, there are 25.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 8.2 times more likely to die during childbirth
In United States, approximately 17.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Namibia, 139.0 women do as of 2023.
be 6.6 times more likely to die during infancy
In United States, approximately 5.5 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 United States, 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 31.5% less likely to have internet access
In United States, approximately 94.7% 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 United States, 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 43.2% less on healthcare
United States spends 16.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Namibia, that number is 9.5% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 67.5% more on education
United States spends 5.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Namibia spends 9.1% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 92.1% less coastline
United States has a total of 19,924 km of coastline. In Namibia, that number is 1,572 km.
Safety
be 94.6% more likely to be murdered
United States has a homicide rate of 5.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Namibia, that number is 11.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 54.9% more likely to die in a road accident
In United States, road accidents kill 14.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Namibia, they kill 22.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 98.9% less strain on fresh water
United States withdraws 28% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Namibia withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 92.7% less home broadband
United States has 38.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Namibia has 2.8 as of 2024.
use 90.4% less electricity
United States uses 12,839 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Namibia uses 1,232 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 91.2% less CO2
United States emits 13.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Namibia emits 1.2 tonnes as of 2024.
be 3.1 times more likely to die from air pollution
In United States, air pollution causes 14.0 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), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: United States vs. Namibia
Namibia: At a glance
How big is Namibia compared to United States? See an in-depth size comparison.