Staff Reporter

THE political declare that 71% of younger individuals will likely be eligible to vote within the upcoming Presidential and National Assembly elections in November has been dispelled by the latest launch of the ultimate 2023 Census Main Report by the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA).

Opposition events – primarily the Popular Democratic Movement (PDM), Independent Patriots for Change (IPC), and Landless People’s Movement (LPM) – have formed their election campaigns round this supposed 71% youth bloc, asserting that it has the potential to alter Namibia’s future.

According to the NSA, 34.1% of the Namibian inhabitants, which stood at 3,022,401 as of 24 September 2023, are categorised as youth (ages 15–34). This 34.1%, equating to 1.03 million individuals, contains people aged 15 to 17 who aren’t but eligible to vote.

Of this 1.03 million younger individuals, 25.4% are between the ages of 20 and 24, 24.5% are between the ages of 25 and 29, and 23.1% are between the ages of 30 and 34. NSA information additional present that 22% of the inhabitants are aged 35–59, whereas 6.8% are aged 60 and above.

The closing 2023 Population and Housing Census Main Report was launched on Wednesday, 30 October 2024. This is Namibia’s first totally digital census, utilising out there applied sciences to enhance operational effectivity, improve information high quality, and allow immediate launch of outcomes.

The census revealed that the inhabitants grew from 2,113,077 in 2011 to three,022,401 in 2023. In 2011, 36.9% of the inhabitants have been between the ages of 15 and 34, 19.5% have been between the ages of 35 and 59, and seven.1% have been aged 60 and above. Additionally, whereas 42.8% of the inhabitants lived in city areas and 57.2% in rural areas in 2011, the urban-rural inhabitants cut up reached 50–50 in 2023.