Factories power export earnings
Namibia’s manufacturing sector emerged as the leading driver of export earnings in December 2025, contributing nearly half of the country’s total export revenue, according to the Namibia Statistics Agency’s (NSA) International Merchandise Trade Statistics Bulletin (IMTSB).
Total exports for the month were valued at N$10.7 billion, while imports amounted to N$11.1 billion, resulting in a trade deficit of N$393 million.
The NSA reported that manufacturing ranked first among export sectors, generating N$4.9 billion and accounting for 45.9% of total export earnings. This was despite a month-on-month decline of N$86 million in manufacturing exports.
Mining and quarrying followed closely in second place, contributing 43.6% of total exports in December 2025.
The agriculture, forestry and fishing sector ranked third, accounting for 10.1%, or approximately N$1 billion, of total export earnings.
Within manufacturing, basic metals were the largest export category, generating N$2.1 billion, followed by food products at N$1.3 billion and other metals at N$426 million.
Mining boosts export performance
“The mining and quarrying sector occupied the second position, accounting for 43.6%, or N$4.6 billion, of total exports in December 2025, with export values increasing by N$461 million compared to the previous month,” the NSA said.
Non-monetary gold, diamonds and uranium were the country’s top mineral export earners during the month, underscoring Namibia’s continued reliance on extractive industries. Export earnings from non-monetary gold amounted to N$1.9 billion, while precious stones (diamonds) generated N$1.87 billion. Uranium exports stood at N$1.8 billion, with nickel ores and concentrates contributing N$352 million.
"The analysis of exports by commodities indicated that non-monetary gold has the largest share of
the export basket, accounting for 18% of Namibia’s total exports, ahead of precious
stones (diamonds) which accounted for 17.5%. Uranium, fish and ‘fruit and nuts’ also
formed part of the top five exported products," the NSA said.
