Namibia
Digital Snapshot – Key Policies and Laws
Namibia’s digital profile is increasingly shaped by a push to modernise the state while catching up on legal safeguards. In the UN’s 2024 E-Government Development Index, Namibia scored 0.6007 and ranked 114th of 193, improving from 121st in 2022, but its strongest gains came in telecom infrastructure rather than e-participation.
The policy framework has become clearer in the past two years. The government’s National Digital Strategy 2025–2028 and MICT Strategic Plan 2025–2030 place digital public services, connectivity, digital skills, innovation, and regulation at the centre of Namibia’s development agenda. The official policy portal also lists the country’s core digital instruments, including the National Cybersecurity Strategy, National Broadband Policy, UAS Policy, and older sector policies for telecoms, postal services, and broadcasting.
The most consequential unresolved issue is data protection. Namibia’s digital economy has expanded without a verified standalone data protection law in force, even as government officials increasingly describe the Data Protection Bill as essential for protecting personal data and supporting digital services. Official statements in 2024–2025 said consultations were complete and that the bill was being prepared for, or expected to move through, Cabinet and then Parliament, making it one of the country’s most cross-cutting digital governance reforms.
Cybersecurity is moving in parallel, but more controversially. Namibia has an official National Cybersecurity Strategy and Awareness Raising Plan on the books, and the Cybercrime Bill, 2026, is now publicly available on the ministry’s website. Together, these show a state trying to build a fuller cyber governance architecture, but also one entering the familiar tension between stronger cyber powers and the need to protect rights such as privacy and freedom of expression.
In terms of digital infrastructure, Namibia is relatively well-positioned by regional standards. The government reported 4G population coverage of 88.4% in 2025/26, while major submarine cable investments have given the country two key international links: WACS, which landed in Swakopmund in 2011, and Equiano, activated through Telecom Namibia in 2024 after landing in 2022. CRAN’s 5G Strategy 2023–2027 adds a next-generation mobile roadmap to that infrastructure base.
Namibia’s wider digital economy and emerging-tech landscape remain more enabling than prescriptive. The Electronic Transactions Act, 2019, provides the legal backbone for e-commerce, electronic signatures, electronic evidence, and consumer protection in online commerce, but I could not verify a standalone AI strategy or cloud policy. Instead, AI, cloud, and other 4IR technologies are mainly being addressed through broader digital and infrastructure strategies, alongside the Access to Information Act, 2022 and its 2024 regulations, which strengthen the transparency side of digital governance.
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Namibia’s permanent mission to the UN:
Namibia’s Permanent Mission in Geneva represents the country to the UN Office at Geneva and other international organisations based there. It serves as Namibia’s diplomatic channel for multilateral work on issues such as human rights, trade, health, development, and disarmament, while also maintaining bilateral and consular functions through its representation in Geneva. The UN Geneva Blue Book lists the mission at Allée David-Morse 8, 1202 Geneva, with its official website and contact details.
Official UNOG website: https://www.ungeneva.org/en/blue-book/missions/member-states/namibia
Official website: https://missionofnamibia.ch
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Consult Namibia’s digital strategies and regulations
Follow Namibia’s digital submarine cables
The data is sourced from reputable international agencies and organizations. Hover over each field for source information and explanations.
General profile
Official name: Republic of Namibia
National internet domain: NA
Area: 825,615 km2
Capital: Windhoek
Population: 2.6 million
The displayed data represents the most recent information obtained from sources, typically covering the years 2018 to 2023.Population growth: 1.44
Annual population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.The displayed data represents the most recent information obtained from sources, typically covering the years 2018 to 2023.
Life expectancy at birth: 58.06
Total years (Estimate for 2022)The displayed data represents the most recent information obtained from sources, typically covering the years 2018 to 2023.
Rule of law estimate: 0.40
Rule of Law captures perceptions of the extent to which agents have confidence in and abide by the rules of society, and in particular the quality of contract enforcement, property rights, the police, and the courts, as well as the likelihood of crime and violence. Estimate gives the country's score ranging from approximately -2.5 to 2.5 (Estimate for 2023)
Regulatory quality estimate: -0.02
Political stability: 0.56
Economic info
Currency: Namibian dollar
Unemployment (%): 19.88
Unemployment, total (% of total labor force)The displayed data represents the most recent information obtained from sources, typically covering the years 2018 to 2023.
GDP (current US$): 12.4 billion
GDP growth (annual %): 4.16
GDP per capita (current US$): 4.7 thousand
The displayed data represents the most recent information obtained from sources, typically covering the years 2018 to 2023.Inflation, consumer prices (annual %): 5.88
The displayed data represents the most recent information obtained from sources, typically covering the years 2018 to 2023.
Digital profile
Internet and social media penetration:
Individuals using the internet, total (%): 62.22
The displayed data represents the most recent information obtained from sources, typically covering the years 2018 to 2023.Social media users: 703.9 thousand
Estimate for 2024Male internet users (%): No data
Male internet users as a % of total male population.The displayed data represents the most recent information obtained from sources, typically covering the years 2018 to 2023.
Facebook users: 703.9 thousand
Estimate for 2024Female internet users (%): No data
Female Internet users as a % of total female population.The displayed data represents the most recent information obtained from sources, typically covering the years 2018 to 2023.
Instagram users: 422.7 thousand
Estimate for 2024Households with internet access at home (%): 63
The displayed data represents the most recent information obtained from sources, typically covering the years 2018 to 2023.Linkedin users: 380.0 thousand
Estimate for 2024Fixed broadband subscriptions: 3.52
Total fixed broadband subscriptions (per 100 people) refers to fixed subscriptions to high-speed access to the public internet (a TCP/IP connection), at downstream speeds equal to, or greater than, 256 kbit/s.The displayed data represents the most recent information obtained from sources, typically covering the years 2018 to 2023.
X users: 87.7 thousand
Estimate for 2024Mobile infrastructure and access:
Mobile ownership (%): 41.03
Mobile phone ownership as a % of total population (Estimate for 2023)Mobile Infrastructure: 61.15
Mobile Infrastructure index: High-performance mobile internet coverage availability. It includes parameters such as network coverage, performance, quality of supporting infrastructure and amount of spectrum assigned to mobile network operators (Estimate for 2023)Gender gap in mobile internet (%): 0
This metric evaluates the disparity in mobile internet access between genders. (Estimate for 2023)Mobile Affordability: 55.22
Mobile Affordability index : The availability of mobile services and devices at price points that reflect the level of income across a national population. It includes parameters such as mobile tariffs, headset prices, taxation and inequality (Estimate for 2023)Gender gap in mobile ownership (%): 12.35
Represents the disparity between genders in owning mobile devices. (Estimate for 2023)Top-Level Domains (TLDs) per person: 58.82
Number of generic and country Top Level Domains per person Estimate for 2023.Network performance: 48.49
Network performance index: Quality of mobile services measured by download speed, upload speed and latencies (Estimate for 2023)Mobile download speeds: 18.19
Mobile download speeds: Average download speed for mobile users (originally in Mbit/s) (Estimate for 2023)Mobile uploads speeds: 45.04
Mobile uploads speeds: average uploads speed for mobile users (originally in Mbit/s) (Estimate for 2023)Mobile Latencies: 82.24
Mobile Latencies: Average latency for mobile users (originally in milliseconds) (Estimate for 2023)Network Coverage (%): 75.60
Network coverage (% of total population) (Estimate for 2023)2G Coverage (%): 100
Coverage % of population (Estimate for 2023)3G Coverage (%): 92
Coverage % of population (Estimate for 2023)4G Coverage (%): 72
Coverage % of population (Estimate for 2023)5G Coverage (%): 0
Coverage % of population (Estimate for 2023)Operating system and browser market share estimate
Operating system market share (%):
Desktop, Tablet & Console Operating System Market Share: Estimate for 2024Browser market share (%):
Browser Market Share Worldwide: Estimate for 2024Android: 55.94
Chrome: 74.51
Win10: 16.85
Safari: 8.63
iOS: 9.90
Edge: 7.83
OS X: 1.99
Firefox: 1.79
Win11: 9.45
Samsung Internet: 3.48
The UN E-Government Survey
The UN E-Government Survey is the assessment of the digital government landscape across all UN member states. The E-Government Survey is informed by over two decades of longitudinal research, with a ranking of countries based on the UN E-Government Development Index (EGDI), a combination of primary data (collected and owned by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs) and secondary data from other UN agencies.E-Government Rank: 114
Nations E-Government Development Index (EGDI), a combination of primary data (collected and owned by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs) and secondary data from other UN agencies. Estimate gives the country's rank.E-Government Index: 0.60
The EGDI is a composite measure of three important dimensions of e-government, namely: provision of online services, telecommunication connectivity and human capacity. Estimate gives the country's score ranging from approximately 0 to 1.E-Participation Index: 0.27
The E-Participation Index (EPI) is derived as a supplementary index to the United Nations E-Government Survey. Estimate gives the country's score ranging from approximately 0 to 1.Online Service Index: 0.49
The online services index was developed by the UN to evaluate the scope and quality of government online services. Estimate gives the country's score ranging from approximately 0 to 1.Human Capital Index: 0.57
The Human Capital Index (HCI) quantiï¬es the contribution of health and education to the productivity of the next generation of workers. Estimate gives the country's score ranging from approximately 0 to 1.Telecommunication Infrastructure Index: 0.72
Telecommunication Infrastructure Index- Telecommunication Infrastructure Index (TII) Composite Indicator that measures the countries' Telecommunication infrastructure readiness to adopt the opportunities offered by Information and Communication Technology as to enhance their competitiveness. Estimate gives the country's score ranging from approximately 0 to 1.Government AI Readiness Index
Ranking: 148
Global Ranking is calculated based on the total score. (Estimate for 2024).Total: 33.28
The total score is calculated by taking the arithmetic mean of each dimension, followed by the arithmetic mean of each pillar. The final score is the arithmetic mean of the three pillars, with all indicators, dimensions, and pillars weighted equally. (Estimate for 2024).Government: 28.56
This pillar evaluates a government's readiness and capability to implement AI responsibly and effectively. It includes several dimensions: the presence of a national AI strategy (Vision), regulations for data protection, privacy, and cybersecurity, along with ethical frameworks and accountability measures (Governance and Ethics). It also considers the existing IT infrastructure, online services, and promotion of emerging technology investments (Digital Capacity). Finally, it assesses the government’s ability to change and innovate effectively, including responsiveness to change, effectiveness, and use of procurement data (Adaptability). (Estimate for 2024).Technology Sector: 25.36
This pillar assesses the country's technology sector and its ability to support AI implementation. It includes the maturity of the sector, measured by metrics such as the number of AI and non-AI unicorns, value of trade in ICT services and goods, and spending on computer software (Maturity). It also evaluates the sector's capacity for innovation, considering factors like time spent dealing with regulations, availability of venture capital, R&D spending, company investment in emerging technology, and research papers published in AI (Innovation Capacity). Additionally, it examines the availability of skills within the population, focusing on STEM graduates, GitHub users, female STEM graduates, quality of engineering education, and ICT skills (Human Capital). (Estimate for 2024).Data and Infrastructure: 45.92
This pillar evaluates a country’s technological and data infrastructure to support AI implementation. It examines the quality of technological infrastructure, including telecommunications, supercomputing capabilities, broadband quality, 5G infrastructure, and the adoption of emerging technologies (Infrastructure). It also assesses the availability of data for training AI models, considering factors such as open data, data governance, mobile-cellular subscriptions, household internet access, and statistical capacity (Data Availability). Additionally, it considers the representativeness of the available data, focusing on metrics like the gender gap in internet access and the affordability of internet-enabled devices relative to GDP per capita (Data Representativeness). (Estimate for 2024).