Tobacco smoking in Namibia
Data sourced:
2022.
Page updated:
2025-01-25
In Namibia, the prevalence of tobacco smoking among adults aged 15 years and older, according to the World Health Organization, was 11.2% in 2022. This prevalence was significantly higher among males with 19.2%, compared to 4% among females. In terms of absolute numbers, approximately 181,242 individuals in Namibia were identified as smokers in 2022. When compared to previous years, there has been a slight decrease in smoking prevalence from 11.7% in 2020. The adult daily smoking prevalence in 2017 was reported to be 17.2%, with 27.6% among males and 7.7% among females.
The annual number of deaths attributable to tobacco smoking in 2021 was 1,100, with 388 deaths among females and 712 among males. These smoking-related deaths represented 4.1% of all deaths in the country, with gender-specific percentages of 3.24% for females and 4.8% for males. These statistics highlight the ongoing public health challenge posed by tobacco smoking in Namibia, necessitating continued efforts for mitigating its health impacts.
Prevalence
Year |
Value |
Reference/Comment |
2019 |
263.7 thousand |
1A
|
2020 |
181.8 thousand |
1B
|
2022 |
181.2 thousand |
1C
A
|
Comments:
- Current tobacco smoking rates among people aged 15 years and older, 2022 estimates. Crude adjusted prevalence (%).
World Population Prospects 2019 [Internet]. United Nations; 2019. (Department of Economic and Social Affairs, editor. Population Division). Report No.: Rev. 1. Available from: https://population.un.org/wpp/Download/Standard/Population/
Year |
Value |
Reference/Comment |
2019 |
17.3% |
2A
|
2020 |
11.7% |
2B
|
2022 |
11.2% |
2C
A
|
Comments:
- Current tobacco smoking rates among people aged 15 years and older, 2022 estimates. Crude adjusted prevalence (%).
Year |
Value |
Reference/Comment |
2019 |
6.3% |
2A
|
2020 |
4.4% |
2B
|
2022 |
4% |
2C
A
|
Comments:
- Current tobacco smoking rates among people aged 15 years and older, 2022 estimates. Crude adjusted prevalence (%).
Year |
Value |
Reference/Comment |
2019 |
28.3% |
2A
|
2020 |
19.8% |
2B
|
2022 |
19.2% |
2C
A
|
Comments:
- Current tobacco smoking rates among people aged 15 years and older, 2022 estimates. Crude adjusted prevalence (%).
Comments:
- Current tobacco smoking rates among people aged 15 years and older, 2022 estimates. Crude adjusted prevalence (%).
World Population Prospects 2019 [Internet]. United Nations; 2019. (Department of Economic and Social Affairs, editor. Population Division). Report No.: Rev. 1. Available from: https://population.un.org/wpp/Download/Standard/Population/
- Current tobacco smoking rates among people aged 15 years and older, 2022 estimates. Crude adjusted prevalence (%).
- These rates are modelled using all national survey data published since 1990 to estimate the underlying prevalence trends by sex, then applying age-standardization to allow comparison with other countries. They do not necessarily resemble country data from 2015
Smoking-related mortality
Year |
Value |
Reference/Comment |
2016 |
1.0 thousand |
1A
|
2021 |
1.1 thousand |
1B
A
|
Comments:
- Number of tobacco-related deaths in the population in 2021 by gender for all age groups. Tobacco-related mortality includes smoking tobacco use, smokeless tobacco use and second-hand smoke.
Year |
Value |
Reference/Comment |
2016 |
333 |
1A
|
2021 |
388 |
1B
A
|
Comments:
- Number of tobacco-related deaths in the population in 2021 by gender for all age groups. Tobacco-related mortality includes smoking tobacco use, smokeless tobacco use and second-hand smoke.
Year |
Value |
Reference/Comment |
2016 |
700 |
1A
|
2021 |
712 |
1B
A
|
Comments:
- Number of tobacco-related deaths in the population in 2021 by gender for all age groups. Tobacco-related mortality includes smoking tobacco use, smokeless tobacco use and second-hand smoke.
Year |
Value |
Reference/Comment |
2016 |
5.93% |
1A
|
2021 |
4.1% |
1B
A
|
Comments:
- Percentage of tobacco-related deaths to deaths from all causes in 2021 by gender for all age groups. Tobacco-related mortality includes smoking tobacco use, smokeless tobacco use and second-hand smoke.
Year |
Value |
Reference/Comment |
2016 |
4.3% |
1A
|
2021 |
3.24% |
1B
A
|
Comments:
- Percentage of tobacco-related deaths to deaths from all causes in 2021 by gender for all age groups. Tobacco-related mortality includes smoking tobacco use, smokeless tobacco use and second-hand smoke.
Year |
Value |
Reference/Comment |
2016 |
6.7% |
1A
|
2021 |
4.8% |
1B
A
|
Comments:
- Percentage of tobacco-related deaths to deaths from all causes in 2021 by gender for all age groups. Tobacco-related mortality includes smoking tobacco use, smokeless tobacco use and second-hand smoke.
Comments:
- Number of tobacco-related deaths in the population in 2021 by gender for all age groups. Tobacco-related mortality includes smoking tobacco use, smokeless tobacco use and second-hand smoke.
- Percentage of tobacco-related deaths to deaths from all causes in 2021 by gender for all age groups. Tobacco-related mortality includes smoking tobacco use, smokeless tobacco use and second-hand smoke.
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