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Insights Centre
Sectors · Mining across SADC

Mining in Namibia

Where the mines and projects are, what they produce, the power and corridors they need, and the processing gap.

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Value added by mining and utilities, 2024US$2.3bn18.6% of the economy · 9th largest of 16 in SADC
Real growth+6.2%a year over the last five years, at constant prices
Exports of the pillar's goods, 2024US$5.0bn+43% on five years earlier · 5th in SADC
Deals in the last 12 months1113 tracked in Namibia in all

Mining and utilities added US$2.3bn to Namibia's economy in 2024

Value added by mining and utilities, the industries in the national accounts closest to mining, US$, at the prices of each year and at constant 2020 prices (which show real growth)

0$500m$1bn$2bn$2bn199019921994199619982000200220042006200820102012201420162018202020222024Prices of each yearUS$2.3bnConstant 2020 pricesUS$2.0bn
Source: UN Statistics Division·dotzedw Insights Centre

Namibia has SADC's 9th largest mining and utilities sector

Value added by mining and utilities, US$, latest year, with its share of each economy

South AfricaUS$37.5bn10.4% of the economy
AngolaUS$26.8bn23.4% of the economy
DRCUS$19.8bn28.2% of the economy
TanzaniaUS$8.6bn11.2% of the economy
ZimbabweUS$7.8bn18.0% of the economy
ZambiaUS$4.2bn17.3% of the economy
MozambiqueUS$3.3bn16.5% of the economy
BotswanaUS$2.3bn12.6% of the economy
NamibiaUS$2.3bn18.6% of the economy
MadagascarUS$769m4.8% of the economy
MalawiUS$397m3.5% of the economy
LesothoUS$327m15.9% of the economy
MauritiusUS$258m2.0% of the economy
EswatiniUS$101m2.2% of the economy
SeychellesUS$50m2.8% of the economy
ComorosUS$20m1.3% of the economy
Source: UN Statistics Division·dotzedw Insights Centre

Mineral rents: Namibia against SADC

Mineral rents, % of GDP, latest year for each country. Click a bar for that country's mining page.

0%10%20%30%DRC28.8%Zambia28.2%Zimbabwe4.2%Tanzania4.0%South Africa3.8%Namibia3.2%Botswana0.2%Mozambique0.1%Malawi0.0%Angola0.0%Comoros0.0%Eswatini0.0%Lesotho0.0%Madagascar0.0%Mauritius0.0%Seychelles0.0%median 0.1%

Source: World Bank·dotzedw Insights Centre

Namibia's trade in mining goods since 2012

Exports and imports of the products in this pillar's subsectors, each product counted once, US$

0$1bn$2bn$3bn$4bn$5bn2012201420162018202020222024ExportsUS$5.0bnImportsUS$825m
Source: CEPII BACI·dotzedw Insights Centre

Subsectors

11 in this pillar

Copper and cobalt in Namibia

Tracks
Mines and projects in the Congolese and Zambian copper belts, output, smelters and refineries, export routes, power demand, export rules.

Select a figure for its trend. Source: CEPII BACI, dotzedw deals tracker.

Trade in detail

Namibia exported US$1.0bn and imported US$558m of copper and cobalt in 2024; exports up 101% on five years earlier, 2.5% of what SADC sells abroad.

Namibia's main exports in this subsector, 2024

Unrefined copper (blister and anodes) (740200)US$346m
Refined copper (740319)US$343m
Copper ore (260300)US$207m
Cobalt oxides and hydroxides (282200)US$119m
Refined copper (740311)US$10m

Namibia's trade in copper and cobalt every year since 2012, by partner is part of the Individual plan

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Open these deals in the deals tracker

What Namibia sells abroad across mining

Namibia's exports by subsector, 2024, US$, with its share of SADC's exports. A product can count in two subsectors.

UraniumUS$1.8bn94.8% of SADC · +55% on five years earlier
DiamondsUS$1.1bn8.4% of SADC · -2% on five years earlier
Copper and cobaltUS$1.0bn2.5% of SADC · +101% on five years earlier
GoldUS$797m2.1% of SADC · +17% on five years earlier
Battery and critical mineralsUS$226m8.5% of SADC · +42049% on five years earlier
CoalUS$16m0.1% of SADC · +4865% on five years earlier
Iron ore and manganeseUS$12m0.1% of SADC · +16% on five years earlier
Source: CEPII BACI·dotzedw Insights Centre

Who is moving

Open in the deals tracker

11 deals in the last 12 months involving Namibia, placed in subsectors by what they say.

Sources and method