Academic Freedom Index in Namibia
Namibia: Academic Freedom Index was 0.718 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Academic Freedom Index in Namibia, 1980–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Namibia recorded 0.718 for academic freedom index in 2025.
The figure is down 0.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, academic freedom index in Namibia peaked at 0.753 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.153, in 1981.
Namibia ranks 70th of 174 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 46 years of available data.
Academic Freedom Index in Namibia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 0.155 | — |
| 1981 | 0.153 | -1.3% |
| 1982 | 0.153 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 0.153 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.153 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.153 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.153 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 0.153 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 0.153 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 0.156 | +2.0% |
| 1990 | 0.72 | +361.5% |
| 1991 | 0.743 | +3.2% |
| 1992 | 0.743 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 0.743 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 0.743 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 0.743 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 0.743 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 0.743 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 0.743 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 0.743 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.743 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 0.743 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.743 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.743 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.696 | -6.3% |
| 2005 | 0.713 | +2.4% |
| 2006 | 0.716 | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 0.716 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 0.728 | +1.7% |
| 2009 | 0.728 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 0.732 | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 0.732 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 0.732 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 0.724 | -1.1% |
| 2014 | 0.724 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 0.724 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 0.724 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 0.724 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 0.743 | +2.6% |
| 2019 | 0.743 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 0.753 | +1.3% |
| 2021 | 0.696 | -7.6% |
| 2022 | 0.676 | -2.9% |
| 2023 | 0.695 | +2.8% |
| 2024 | 0.718 | +3.3% |
| 2025 | 0.718 | +0.0% |
Namibia compared with similar countries
- Namibia's 0.718 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.515, 1.4× the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Namibia's 0.718 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.519, 1.4× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.1535 | 0.153 | 0.156 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.7407 | 0.72 | 0.743 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.7269 | 0.696 | 0.743 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.7302 | 0.724 | 0.743 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.7093 | 0.676 | 0.753 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Namibia
More social development data for Namibia
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 5,470 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 685 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 3 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 3 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0002 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 685 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0018 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is academic freedom index in Namibia?
- Academic freedom index in Namibia was 0.718 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest academic freedom index recorded in Namibia?
- The highest recorded value was 0.753 in 2020.
- What is the lowest academic freedom index recorded in Namibia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.153 in 1981.
- How does Namibia rank for academic freedom index?
- Namibia ranks 70th out of 174 countries with data for 2025.
- Is academic freedom index rising or falling in Namibia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Namibia data come from?
- The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Academic Freedom Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 46 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Central estimate of the extent to which academics can research, teach, publish, express opinions, and participate in academic bodies without interference, censorship, or institutional restrictions, and universities exercise institutional autonomy.