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White Namibians

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White Namibians (German: Weiße Namibier or Europäische Namibier) are people of European descent settled in Namibia. The majority of White Namibians are Dutch-descended Afrikaners (locally born or of White South African descent), with a minority being native-born German Namibians (descended from Germans who colonised Namibia in the late-nineteenth century). There are also some Portuguese and English immigrants. 53,773 Namibians identified as White in 2023.

White Namibians
Blanke Namibiërs, Wit Namibiërs
Weiße Namibier
Regions with significant populations
Namibia53,773 (2023 Census)[1]
Languages
First language
Afrikaans (60%)
German (32%)
English (7%)
Portuguese (1%)
Religion
Predominantly Christian
Related ethnic groups
White South Africans, White Zimbabweans, Afrikaners, Coloureds, Basters, other White Africans

Demographics and distribution

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53,773 Namibians identified as White in the 2023 census, representing 1.8% of the population of Namibia.[1] Other estimates differ. The City of Windhoek estimates their number to be 75,000.[2]

The vast majority of White Namibians live in major cities and towns in central or southern Namibia. Windhoek has by far the largest White population, and Whites are a majority in the coastal city of Swakopmund. Other coastal cities, such as Walvis Bay and Lüderitz, also have large White communities. In general, most of Namibia south of Windhoek has a high proportion of Whites, while central Namibia has a high concentration of Blacks. Apart from Windhoek, coastal areas and Southern Namibia, there are large White communities in Otjiwarongo and towns in the Otavi Triangle, such as Tsumeb and Grootfontein. The 1981 census of the Republic of South Africa reported a White population of 76,430 in Namibia (71% Afrikaners and 17% German-speaking).[3]

The white birth rate in Namibia is lower than the black and mixed population.[4]

History

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See also: History of Namibia

The first European to land in Namibia was Portuguese explorer Diogo Cão.[5]

Portuguese mariner and explorer Bartolomeu Dias reached Namibia in 1487. Europeans had no interest in Namibia until the 19th century because there was a desert along the country’s coast.[6]

German colonists killed tens of thousands of indigenous African tribes in Namibia between 1904 and 1908 during the Herero and Nama genocide due to white supremacy and belief in racial superiority.[7][8]

Economics

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According to the FAO, around 42% of arable land was owned by Whites at the time of independence in 1990.[9] While the area was known as South West Africa, White Namibians enjoyed a highly privileged position due to apartheid laws enforcing strict segregation.[10]

Politicians

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Businessmen

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Sportspeople

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Journalists

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Farmers

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Engineers

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Artists

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Fashion models

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Population chart

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White population of Namibia, 1965–2023 (estimated)
Government Year White population Total population White in percent
German South West Africa (1884–1915) 1913 14,830 200,000* 7%
South West Africa, South African administration (1915–1990) 1918 13,400[13] 195,000* 7%
1919 6,700[14] 205,000* 3%
1921 19,432[15] 228,910[16] 8%
1933 10,000[14] 290,000* 3%
1958 66,000[15] 561,854[17] 12%
1965 68,000[18] 670,981[17] 10%
1981 76,430[3] 1,033,196[19] 7%
Republic of Namibia (1990–) 2023 53,773[1] 3,022,401[1] 5%

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Namibia 2023 Population and Housing Census Main Report" (PDF). Namibia Statistics Agency. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
  2. ^ "The Whites". City of Windhoek. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
  3. ^ a b Weigend, Guido G. (April 1985). "German Settlement Patterns in Namibia". Geographical Review. 75 (2): 156–169. doi:10.2307/214466. JSTOR 214466.
  4. ^ Van Slambrouck, Paul (30 October 1981). "Namibia's whites wistful about relinquishing power". The Christian Science Monitor.
  5. ^ "Namibia | South African History Online".
  6. ^ "A Brief History of Namibia". 14 March 2021.
  7. ^ "White is not a colour – white is an ideology".
  8. ^ "Germany officially recognises colonial-era Namibia genocide".
  9. ^ Garcia, C. Tapia. "Land Reform / Réforme agraire / Reforma agraria /". Food and Agriculture Organization. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
  10. ^ Amid Namibia's White Opulence, Majority Rule Isn't So Scary Now in The New York Times, 26 December 1988
  11. ^ Risser, Namibia's White Warrior FIFA, 23 January 2008
  12. ^ "Dr. Japie van Zyl". www.jpl.nasa.gov. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  13. ^ Garvey, Marcus (5 November 1995). The Marcus Garvey and Universal Negro Improvement Association Papers, Vol. IX: Africa for the Africans June 1921 – December 1922. University of California Press. ISBN 9780520916821.
  14. ^ a b Hackl, Dietmar. "History of Namibia – The Independence". www.namib.info. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
  15. ^ a b Jeremy, Silvester (13 July 2015). Re-Viewing Resistance in Namibian History. University of Namibia Press. ISBN 9789991642277.
  16. ^ "An atlas of Namibia's population: monitoring and understanding its characteristics" (PDF). Namibia Central Bureau of Statistics. 2010.
  17. ^ a b "Namibia Population 1950 – 2050". www.bluemarblecitizen.com. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
  18. ^ "Namibia Virtual Jewish History Tour | Jewish Virtual Library". www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
  19. ^ "Population – Namibia – Africa". www.countriesquest.com. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
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