Moving to South Africa from Namibia

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What to Expect

Considering a move from Namibia to South Africa? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.

If you moved from Namibia to South Africa.

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Who Else Is Making This Move?

What the data shows about people moving from Namibia to South Africa.

Living there in 2020
36,671 ↓ 10% vs 2015

people born in Namibia live in South Africa · UN DESA

Who's moving to South Africa?

Top countries of origin for South Africa's foreign-born residents.

Foreign-born population · UN DESA (2020)

Key Indicator Comparison

The numbers behind daily life in South Africa compared to Namibia.

Is it safe?

Homicide rate World Bank, 2022

per 100,000 people per year

NA
11.2
ZA
43.7
Road traffic deaths United Nations SDG Indicators, 2021

per 100,000 people per year

NA
22.0
ZA
24.5

Namibia performs better than South Africa across all safety metrics.

How's the healthcare?

Healthcare spending per person World Bank, 2023

annual government + private spending per person

NA
$1,068
ZA
$1,354
Doctors per 10,000 people World Bank, 2022

affects wait times and access to care

NA
5.5
ZA
7.9

Namibia generally does better on health & wellbeing, though South Africa leads in doctors per 10,000 people.

What about the environment?

Air pollution deaths United Nations SDG Indicators, 2019

deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people

NA
43.0
ZA
47.0
CO₂ emissions per capita World Bank, 2024

tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year

NA
1.2t
ZA
6.9t

Namibia performs better than South Africa across all environment metrics.

Will I have good infrastructure?

Broadband per 100 people World Bank, 2024

fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work

NA
2.8
ZA
5.3
Water stress level World Bank, 2022

higher means greater strain on freshwater supply

NA
0.3%
ZA
67.6%

South Africa generally does better on infrastructure, though Namibia leads in water stress level.

What are the job prospects?

Unemployment rate World Bank, 2025

percentage of the labour force without work

NA
19.3%
ZA
32.4%
GDP per capita World Bank, 2025

a broad measure of economic output per person

NA
$4,876
ZA
$6,598

Namibia generally does better on employment & economy, though South Africa leads in gdp per capita.

Is it good for families?

Life expectancy World Bank, 2024

average years of life at birth

NA
67.5 yrs
ZA
66.3 yrs
Infant mortality World Bank, 2024

deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better

NA
36.4
ZA
24.2

Namibia generally does better on family life, though South Africa leads in infant mortality.

See full quality of life comparison

Sources: World Bank (2015–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), Inland Revenue Department (2016), South African Revenue Service (2017). How we calculate this

What's the Climate Like?

Monthly averages — select a city to compare.

Windhoek Rain: 14.5 in/yr (368 mm)
80° / 55°F

Avg. annual high / low

Pretoria Rain: 27.0 in/yr (685 mm)
77° / 55°F

Avg. annual high / low

Months Windhoek Pretoria
Jan–Mar 84°/63°F (29°/17°C) 83°/64°F (28°/18°C)
Apr–Jun 74°/50°F (23°/10°C) 72°/48°F (22°/9°C)
Jul–Sep 76°/49°F (24°/9°C) 72°/47°F (22°/8°C)
Oct–Dec 87°/61°F (30°/16°C) 79°/60°F (26°/15°C)
View all months
Month Windhoek Pretoria
Jan 87°/64°F (30.3°/17.7°C) 84°/65°F (29.0°/18.1°C)
Feb 84°/63°F (28.7°/17.0°C) 84°/64°F (28.7°/18.0°C)
Mar 81°/61°F (27.4°/15.9°C) 81°/62°F (27.3°/16.6°C)
Apr 78°/55°F (25.8°/12.9°C) 77°/56°F (24.8°/13.1°C)
May 74°/50°F (23.4°/9.8°C) 72°/48°F (22.4°/8.7°C)
Jun 69°/44°F (20.7°/6.9°C) 67°/41°F (19.6°/5.2°C)
Jul 70°/44°F (21.2°/6.9°C) 68°/42°F (19.8°/5.3°C)
Aug 75°/48°F (23.8°/8.9°C) 72°/47°F (22.3°/8.2°C)
Sep 82°/54°F (27.5°/12.4°C) 76°/53°F (24.4°/11.8°C)
Oct 85°/58°F (29.3°/14.7°C) 77°/57°F (25.2°/14.0°C)
Nov 86°/61°F (30.2°/16.2°C) 79°/60°F (26.0°/15.4°C)
Dec 89°/63°F (31.4°/17.2°C) 82°/63°F (27.9°/17.0°C)

Data: Namibia Meteorological Service Namibia Meteorological Service, South African Weather Service South African Weather Service

Visitor Visa Requirements

Short-stay tourist visa rules between Namibia and South Africa. To live, work, or study long-term in South Africa, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check South Africa's immigration authority.

Namibia passport

Namibia passport holder visiting South Africa

Visa Free
Namibia passport holders can enter South Africa without a visa.
South Africa passport

South Africa passport holder visiting Namibia

Visa Free
South Africa passport holders can enter Namibia without a visa.

Data: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I work remotely from South Africa?

Connectivity is usually fine (South Africa: 5.3 fixed broadband per 100). What actually decides it is legal: does South Africa offer a digital nomad visa, will your employer permit overseas work, and where are you tax-resident?

Is South Africa safe for expats?

Namibia performs better than South Africa across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in South Africa is 43.7 per 100,000 people, compared to 11.2 in Namibia.

How is healthcare in South Africa compared to Namibia?

Namibia generally does better on health & wellbeing, though South Africa leads in doctors per 10,000 people. There are 7.9 doctors per 10,000 people in South Africa, compared to 5.5 in Namibia. South Africa scores 71 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Namibia: 63).

What's the weather like in South Africa compared to Namibia?

The average high temperature in Pretoria is 77°F, compared to 80°F in Windhoek. Pretoria receives around 27.0 in of rainfall per year, while Windhoek gets 14.5 in.

What language do they speak in South Africa?

The official languages in South Africa are Afrikaans, English, Northern Sotho, Southern Ndebele, Southern Sotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa and Zulu. In Namibia, the official languages are Afrikaans, English, German, Herero, Khoekhoe, Kwangali, Lozi, Ndonga and Tswana.

Compare further: Namibia vs. South Africa

Quality of Life Comparison · 22 statistics
Be 67.9% more likely to be unemployed in South Africa
→
Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
South Africa is 2.1% more expensive than Namibia overall
→
Size Comparison · See true size
Namibia is about 1.5 times smaller than South Africa.
→
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At a Glance

NA ZA
Population 3,092,816 64,747,319
Currency Namibian Dollar (NAD) South African Rand (ZAR)
Languages Afrikaans, English, German, Herero, Khoekhoe, Kwangali, Lozi, Ndonga, Tswana Afrikaans, English, Northern Sotho, Southern Ndebele, Southern Sotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu
Driving side Left Left
Calling code +264 +27
Time zones 1 1
Emergency number 10111 10111