- Country
- Namibia
- Ministry responsible
- Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security
- Prison administration
- Namibia Correctional Service
- Contact address
-
Private Bag 13281, Windhoek
Namibia - Telephone
- Website
- Head of prison administration
-
Raphael Tuhafeni Hamunyela, Commissioner-General
Prison population data
| Prison population total (including pre-trial detainees / remand prisoners) |
Circac. 8,900
at 2021/22 (Office of the Inspector General of Police and national prison administration - 4,804 pre-trial detainees in police custody at July 2021, 4,087 in prisons at February 2022) (N.B. The trend information at the foot of this page and in the graphs does not include pre-trial detainees in police custody.)
|
|---|---|
| Prison population rate (per 100,000 of national population) |
Circac. 318
based on an estimated national population of 2.8 million at late 2021 (from United Nations figures)
|
| Pre-trial detainees / remand prisoners (percentage of prison population) |
54.0%
2021/22
|
| Female prisoners (percentage of prison population) |
2.9%
(February 2022 - not including those in police custody)
|
| Juveniles / minors / young prisoners incl. definition (percentage of prison population) |
0.1%
(February 2022 - under 18; not including those in police custody)
|
| Foreign prisoners (percentage of prison population) |
8.9%
(February 2022 - not including those in police custody)
|
| Number of establishments / institutions |
13
(2019 - the number of prisons)
|
| Official capacity of prison system |
5,424
(February 2022 - capacity of the prisons)
|
| Occupancy level (based on official capacity) |
75.4%
(February 2022 - occupancy level in the prisons)
|
Prison population trend
| Year | Prison population total | Prison population rate |
|---|---|---|
| 4,883 | 254 | |
| 4,727 | 244 | |
| 4,442 | 218 | |
| 4,064 | 188 | |
| 4,251 | 191 | |
| 4,010 | 171 | |
| 3,742 | 148 | |
| c. 4,200 | c. 157 |
Prison population total
Prison population rate
- Pre-trial/remand prison population: trend
- Female prison population: trend
- Prison population trend up to 2000
Pre-trial/remand prison population: trend
The table below gives an indication of the recent trend in the pre-trial/remand prison population. The final row shows the latest figures available.
It consists of the number of pre-trial/remand prisoners in the prison population on a single date in the year (or the annual average) and the percentage of the total prison population that pre-trial/remand prisoners constituted on that day.
The final column shows the pre-trial/remand population rate per 100,000 of the national population.
NAMIBIA
| Year | Number in pre-trial/remand imprisonment | Percentage of total prison population | Pre-trial/remand population rate (per 100,000 of national population) |
| 2001 2007 2010 2015 | 250 322 c. 340 234 | 5.2% 7.9% c. 8% 6.6% | 13 15 c. 15 10 |
| 2013 2015 2021/22 | c. 3,720 c. 3,910 4,804 | c. 49.4% c. 54.0% 54.0% | c. 158 c. 161 172 |
N.B. In this table the figures above the line do not include pre-trial prisoners detained in police holding cells. Those below the line include all pre-trial/remand prisoners
It should be noted that the number of pre-trial/remand prisoners fluctuates from day to day, month to month and year to year. Consequently the above figures give an indication of the trend but the picture is inevitably incomplete.
The pre-trial/remand population rate is calculated on the basis of the national population total. All national population figures are inevitably estimates but the estimates used in the World Prison Brief are based on official national figures, United Nations figures or figures from other recognised international authorities.
Female prison population: trend
The table below gives an indication of the trend in the female prison population. The final row shows the latest figures available.
It consists of the number of female prisoners in the prison population on a single date in the year (or the annual average) and the percentage of the total prison population that female prisoners constituted on that day.
The final column shows the female prison population rate per 100,000 of the national population.
NAMIBIA
| Year | Number of female prisoners | Percentage of total prison population | Female prison population rate (per 100,000 of national population) |
| 2000 2007 2015 | 104 110 85 | 2.1% 2.7% 2.4% | 5.4 5.0 3.4 |
| 2022 | 118 | 2.9% | 4.2 |
N.B. The figures in this table do not include pre-trial prisoners detained in police holding cells.
The number of female prisoners fluctuates and so the above figures give an indication of the trend but the picture is inevitably incomplete.
The female prison population rate is calculated on the basis of the national population total. All national population figures are inevitably estimates but the estimates used in the World Prison Brief are based on official national figures, United Nations figures or figures from other recognised international authorities.
(If the rate were calculated on the basis of the number of females in the national population it would of course be approximately double the figure in the final column).
Prison population trend up to 2000
The figures below give an indication of the prison population trend in the years up to 2000. They supplement the more recent figures that are shown at the foot of the Overview page and in the graphs below.
NAMIBIA
| Year | Prison population total | Prison population rate (per 100,000 of national population) |
| 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 | 2,711 2,965 3,442 4,381 4,883 | 176 182 199 239 254 |
N.B. The figures in this table do not include pre-trial prisoners detained in police holding cells.
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