Chart of the Week
The 2023 Census showed lifetime migration patterns between regions similar to those observed in previous census reports: strong rural-to-urban migration, most common among young, male jobseekers.
Inward migration to urban regions has significantly increased housing pressure, with the number of shacks nearly tripling from 2011 to approximately 217,000 in 2023. Nearly half of all households in Khomas reside in shacks, while nearly four in ten households in Erongo do so, as urban job opportunities remain insufficient for the large influx of jobseekers from rural areas.
However, from 2011 to 2023, there was also substantial inward and outward migration within the northern O-regions and Khomas. Approximately 69,000 additional individuals who were not born in Khomas now reside there, while around 60,000 Khomas-born individuals have relocated to other regions - more outward migration in the past twelve years than was recorded in total prior to 2011.
Although ageing beyond working age is typically associated with emigration from the capital, this emerging pattern of both inward and outward migration between Khomas and the O-regions may suggest that a notable portion of Namibians have disengaged from the job market.
Inward migration to urban regions has significantly increased housing pressure, with the number of shacks nearly tripling from 2011 to approximately 217,000 in 2023. Nearly half of all households in Khomas reside in shacks, while nearly four in ten households in Erongo do so, as urban job opportunities remain insufficient for the large influx of jobseekers from rural areas.
However, from 2011 to 2023, there was also substantial inward and outward migration within the northern O-regions and Khomas. Approximately 69,000 additional individuals who were not born in Khomas now reside there, while around 60,000 Khomas-born individuals have relocated to other regions - more outward migration in the past twelve years than was recorded in total prior to 2011.
Although ageing beyond working age is typically associated with emigration from the capital, this emerging pattern of both inward and outward migration between Khomas and the O-regions may suggest that a notable portion of Namibians have disengaged from the job market.
