A significant increase in Namibia's population to 3,022,401 was recorded in the latest census report, according to a preliminary report released on Wednesday from the 2023 Population and Housing Census.
According to the report, there are 1,548,177 women and 1,474,224 men living in Namibia.
"The de facto population in Namibia on Census Reference Night was 3,022,401 and is made up of 1,548,177 females and 1,474,224 males. Overall, females make up 51.2% of the population and males 48.8%, giving a national sex ratio of 95 males for every 100 females," the document reads.
Since the previous census in 2011, there has been an increase in the number of inhabitants by 909,324 people. This represents an annual population growth rate of 3%, double the rate seen in the previous period from 2001 to 2011, which was 1.4%.
Statistician-General Alex Shimuafeni underscored the importance of this growth trajectory and predicted that if it continues at this rate, Namibia's population could exceed 6 million by 2050.
The report also found the country's population density to be 3.7 people per square kilometer as of the 2023 census.
Shimuafeni, however, cautioned that the figures presented in the preliminary report were subject to change. The final results will be released by October.
Who knows, maybe with such growth rates Namibia will soon become one of the leaders in terms of population. However, so far the growth forecasts look the following way.
Five African countries, namely Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Egypt, are predicted to be among the ten most populous countries in 2100, Statista said last July, citing the latest United Nations projections.