Overview In 2020, Namibia was the number 141 economy in the world in terms of GDP (current US$), the number 106 in total exports, the number 116 in total imports, the number 124 economy in terms of GDP per capita (current US$) and the number 87 most complex economy according to the Economic Complexity Index (ECI).

Exports The top exports of Namibia are Raw Copper ($1.37B), Gold ($950M), Diamonds ($750M), Radioactive Chemicals ($561M), and Refined Copper ($367M), exporting mostly to China ($1.82B), South Africa ($1.21B), Botswana ($498M), Belgium ($348M), and Spain ($251M).

In 2020, Namibia was the world's biggest exporter of Uranium and Thorium Ore ($88.3M)

Imports The top imports of Namibia are Raw Copper ($1.18B), Copper Ore ($526M), Refined Petroleum ($466M), Refined Copper ($362M), and Electricity ($171M), importing mostly from South Africa ($2.67B), Zambia ($1.35B), Democratic Republic of the Congo ($374M), China ($319M), and Bulgaria ($210M).

Location Namibia borders Angola, Botswana, South Africa, and Zambia by land.

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The following section uses the most recent trade data from partners of Namibia.

Disclaimer: data is presented based on availability and only countries that use the harmonized system are being shown.

*All data is converted to USD using January 2020 exchange rates when data is reported in local currency.

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The data obtained is mirror data. The trade of countries that do not report current data can be reconstructed based on data reported by partner countries with current data available.

*All data is converted to USD using January 2020 exchange rates when data is reported in local currency.

Historical Data

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Top Export (2020): Raw Copper, $1.37B

Top Destination (2020): China, $2.67B

In 2020, Namibia exported a total of $6.22B, making it the number 106 exporter in the world. During the last five reported years the exports of Namibia have changed by $707M from $5.51B in 2015 to $6.22B in 2020.

The most recent exports are led by Raw Copper ($1.37B), Gold ($950M), Diamonds ($750M), Radioactive Chemicals ($561M), and Refined Copper ($367M). The most common destination for the exports of Namibia are China ($1.82B), South Africa ($1.21B), Botswana ($498M), Belgium ($348M), and Spain ($251M).

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Fastest Growing Export Markets (2019 - 2020)

Fastest Growing Import Markets (2019 - 2020)

Namibia Exports Services (2020): $242M

Namibia Imports Services (2020): $452M

In 2020, Namibia exported $242M worth of services. The top services exported by Namibia in 2020 were Personal travel ($96.8M), Government services, n.i.e. ($40.4M), Air transport ($25.6M), Construction abroad ($22M), and Business travel ($17.7M).

The top services imported by Namibia in 2020 were Miscellaneous business, professional, and technical services ($139M), Other transport ($100M), Personal travel ($57.2M), Government services, n.i.e. ($51.6M), and Computer and information services ($30.1M).

Economic Complexity

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Most Specialized Products by RCA Index

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Namibia has a high level of specialization in Raw Copper (257), Radioactive Chemicals (142), Wood Charcoal (103), Cobalt Oxides and Hydroxides (50.2), and Fish Fillets (34.5). Specialization is measured using RCA, an index that takes the ratio between Namibia observed and expected exports in each product.

Most Complex Products by PCI

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The highest complexity exports of Namibia according to the product complexity index (PCI) are Acrylic Polymers (1.33), Cellulose (0.7), Oxygen Amino Compounds (0.58), Copper Plating (0.41), and Stone Processing Machines (0.39). PCI measures the knowledge intensity of a product by considering the knowledge intensity of its exporters.

Export Opportunities by Relatedness

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The top export opportunities for Namibia according to the relatedness index, are Niobium, Tantalum, Vanadium and Zirconium Ore (0.14), Cocoa Beans (0.13), Wool (0.13), Raw Cotton (0.13), and Precious Metal Ore (0.12). Relatedness measures the distance between a country's current exports and each product. The barchart show only products that Namibia is not specialized in.

The product space is a network connecting products that are likely to be co-exported. The product space can be used to predict future exports, since countries are more likely to start exporting products that are related to current exports. Relatedness measures the distance between a product, and all of the products a country currently specializes in.

Relatedness Space

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This network shows the products most related to the production structure of Namibia. These are products that tend to be co-exported with the products that Namibia exports. Higher relatedness values ​​indicate greater knowledge, which predicts a greater probability of exporting that product in the future.

Diversification Frontier

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The Complexity-Relatedness diagram compares the risk vs strategic value of a country's potential export oppotunities. Relatedness is predictive of the probability that a country increases its exports in a product. Complexity, is associated with higher levels of income, economic growth, less income inequality, and lower greenhouse emissions.

Economic Complexity Ranking

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During the last 20 years Namibia's⁩ ⁨economy has become relatively less complex, moving from the ⁩⁨nullth to the 87th⁩ position in the ECI rank.

These economic complexity rankings use 6 digit exports classified according to the HS96 classification. We consider only countries with population of at least 1 million and exports of at least $1 billion, and products with world trade over $500 million. To explore different rankings and vary these parameters visit the custom rankings section.

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