About 70% of Namibia’s 3 million people are under the age of 35 (World Bank, 2026; Itana,  2025). While mining, agriculture, tourism, and other sectors of the economy have recorded  substantial progress since independence in 1990, unemployment – currently estimated at  36.9% – has been a persistent problem (World Bank, 2026). The challenge is especially acute  for youth: According to the most recent labour force survey, conducted in 2023,  unemployment among 15- to 34-year-olds stood at 44.4%, a figure that rises further in  economically marginalised regions as well as if “discouraged workers” are added (Namibia  Statistics Agency, 2023; Ndjavera, 2022; Tendane, Hartman, & Alberts, 2023). A recent survey  by the Active Youth Organization (AYO), a youth-led organisation focused on the United  Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals, reinforces these findings, with 85% of young  respondents reporting frustration over unemployment, 72% citing limited access to  education, and 68% expressing concern about inadequate resources (Itana, 2025).  

Both government and nongovernmental actors have invested in youth empowerment.  Alongside local partners such as the AYO, the United Nations Development Programme has  supported initiatives connecting young Namibians to training, funding, and regional networks  (Itana, 2025). The UN recognised Namibia as a “Pathfinder Country” for the Global  Accelerator Programme in 2023, leading to the development of a national roadmap  focused on employment creation, youth entrepreneurship, social-protection expansion, and  economic formalisation (African Peer Review Mechanism, 2025).   Read more