Nairobi:Namibia's economy experienced a 4.8% year-on-year growth in the second quarter of 2026, an increase from the 1.7% growth recorded during the same period in 2025, as announced by the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA).
According to Namibia Press Agency, NSA Statistician-General Alex Shimuafeni highlighted that this growth represents the strongest quarterly performance since early 2025. At that time, the economy expanded by 2.8% in the first quarter before seeing a slowdown in subsequent quarters.
The period from the first quarter of 2025 to the first quarter of 2026 saw an average growth rate of around 2%. Key sectors contributing to the recent growth included agriculture and forestry, health, wholesale and retail trade, and information and communication.
The agriculture and forestry sector rebounded with a 17.8% growth, recovering from a 2.7% contraction in the same quarter of 2025. This improvement was largely due to a 28.5% increase in real value added in the crop subsector, driven by higher production of maize and millet.
The health sector expanded by 17.6%, attributed to enhanced health service delivery following the hiring of additional medical specialists. Wholesale and retail trade grew by 9%, benefitting from increased sales volumes at supermarkets, wholesalers, and clothing outlets. The information and communication sector saw an 8.2% rise, fueled by higher mobile and data usage.
Other sectors also showed growth, with hotels and restaurants, and financial services each increasing by 5.5%, while real estate and professional services grew by 5.2%. However, some sectors faced declines; construction decreased by 15.5%, mining and quarrying contracted by 3.1%, and electricity and water fell by 2.6%.
In terms of expenditure, private final consumption rose by 11.6%, recovering from a 5.9% contraction in the same quarter of 2025. Government consumption grew by 6.6%, and gross fixed capital formation increased by 14.4%, supported by higher investments in machinery and transport equipment.
Exports of goods and services saw a marginal increase of 0.3%, while imports rose by 12.9%, leading to a wider external balance deficit. The nominal value of the Namibian economy was estimated at N$70.6 billion in the second quarter, up from N$65.3 billion in the previous year.
The NSA reported a 46.8% increase in the production of controlled agronomy crops, including white maize, wheat, and mahangu, totaling 52,515 tonnes, compared to 35,765 tonnes in the same quarter of 2025. White maize dominated production, with no recorded output of wheat or pearl millet.
In the fishing sector, total landings of quota species decreased by 1.1% to 101,546 metric tonnes, with horse mackerel representing the largest share at 61,221 metric tonnes. Export earnings from fish products rose to N$4.6 billion from N$4.1 billion, while the import bill for fish products increased to N$189.2 million from N$155 million.