Namibia’s housing crisis: Causes, consequences, and solutions

Depending on who you ask, Namibia’s housing crisis is either looming or in full-blown effect. Depending again on where you live, Namibia’s housing crisis is either a norm - something you’ve seen in your own country or something phenomenally rare.

During a research session we looked at some of the data around, Namibia’s housing crisis (yes, we think it’s a crisis) and tried to understand what’s going on in the country…

What do you mean by housing crisis?

Namibia has long been housed inadequately. As far back as 2008 there was already a shortage of housing units. Unfortunately, the problem has only worsened in the decade and a half since:

The increase in demand for housing has mostly been driven by Namibians migrating from rural to urban areas since the country’s independence in 1990.