Over 80% marginalised have birth certificates …but gaps remain in education, IDs, livelihood

Auleria Wakudumo

Over 80% members of Namibia’s marginalised communities have received birth certificates, marking progress in ensuring access to legal identity among groups that have lacked such documents.

However, the 2023 Marginalised Communities Profile recently released by the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA), shows that while documentation coverage has improved, challenges remain in areas such as national identification, education, employment, access to technology and household living conditions. The report, based on the 2023 Population and Housing Census, examines the socio-economic conditions of the San, Ovatue/Ovatwa and Ovatjimba communities, providing data to guide policies aimed at improving inclusion.

The census recorded 75 569 people belonging to marginalised communities, representing 2.5% of Namibia’s total population of 3 022 401 people. Of this population, 50 163 people live in rural areas compared to 25 406 people in urban areas. This shows that most marginalised communities remain concentrated in rural settlements.