IMPROVING: Government’s efforts to ensure that more Namibians have access to sanitation services have proved to be effective over the years, especially with assistance from the private sector and international donors. PHOTO: DW-NAMIBIA
IMPROVING: Government’s efforts to ensure that more Namibians have access to sanitation services have proved to be effective over the years, especially with assistance from the private sector and international donors. PHOTO: DW-NAMIBIA

Census records improvement, challenges

MATHIAS HAUFIKU
While the 2023 census data reflects an improvement in access to housing and basic services, there are still many who are not satisfied.

There have been improvements in key delivery sectors, but challenges in certain areas persist, data contained in the latest National Housing and Population report released by the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA) this week indicates.

The report shows an increase in the number of households with access to potable water, sanitation, education and electricity, among others.

It also provides analysis and tracks key service delivery aspects, including housing, access to electricity and household income.

According to the report, the percentage of households that cook with wood dropped from 53.7% in 2011 to 50.4% in 2023.

“The percentage of rural households that have access to a flushing toilet increased from 11.8% in 2011 to 18.5% in 2023,” the report noted.

Also, in 2011, 48.6% of households had no toilet facility; that has since dropped to 40% of households in 2023.

Key improvements

Government’s electrification efforts have also not gone unnoticed, especially in rural areas and informal settlements. The number of households that use electricity for lighting jumped from 43.3% in 2011 to 47.1% in 2023.

The number of households with access to potable water also rose significantly from 80% in 2011 to 91.4% in 2023.

Nationally, 20.6% of people aged 15 and older were found to be attending educational institutions in 2023, compared to 17% in 2011.

At the same time, the leniency of local public universities is beginning to show effects.

The percentage of tertiary students has increased by half, from 5.8% in 2011 to 11.8% last year.

A closer look

The report also found that salaries remained the main source of income for most households in the country.

Nationally, wages and salaries dropped from 47.7% in 2011 to 46.6% in 2023, while income from farming activities declined significantly from 16.4% to 10.6% during the reporting period.

The report further noted that 18.1% of households are headed by pensioners.

Omusati Region, where 12 361 of the 72 437 households are headed by pensioners, has the highest number of households headed by people aged over 60.

In contrast, the||Karas Region has the lowest number of households headed by pensioners, with 2 857 out of 33 273 households in this group.

Informal homes mushroom

The report has painted a grim picture of the country’s precarious housing situation, with statistics indicating that the number of shacks in the country has more than doubled since 2011.

According to the report, there are currently 756 339 households in the country, of which 28.7% (217 000) are informal dwellings.

Local authorities have, in recent years, indicated that shacks have been booming since the spike in land occupations across the country since 2014. The current national housing backlog stands at 300 000.

Omusati has the least number of informal dwellings, with 5 939 of the 72 437 households categorised as informal dwellings.

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Namibian Sun 2024-11-22

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