WINDHOEK, Jan. 27– Namibia’s trade deficit widened to 4.4 billion Namibian dollars (about 275 million U.S. dollars) in November 2025, up from 2.9 billion Namibian dollars in October, according to the latest trade statistics released Tuesday by the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA).
NSA Statistician General Alex Shimuafeni attributed the widened deficit to increased imports, highlighting the country’s reliance on foreign goods.
South Africa remained Namibia’s top trading partner, accounting for the largest share of both exports and imports. According to the NSA, non-monetary gold was Namibia’s leading export in November 2025, accounting for 21.1 percent of total exports, with most shipments destined for South Africa.
Uranium ranked second at 19.9 percent, mainly exported to France and China, while precious stones, chiefly diamonds, shipped to Botswana and the United Arab Emirates, accounted for 12.3 percent of total exports.
“Fish and fruit and nuts were the only non-mineral products among the top five exports,” the agency noted. According to the agency, re-exports decreased by 26.1 percent month-on-month and 33 percent year-on-year in November, primarily comprising ores and concentrates of base metals, nickel ores and concentrates, precious stones (diamonds), petroleum oils, and fertilizers.
Meanwhile, the import basket was led by petroleum oils, motor vehicles (for commercial purposes), nickel ores and concentrates, fertilizers, and ores and concentrates of base metals. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
