Namibia has condemned its recent rating in the Misery Index by economist Arthur Orkum claiming Namibia is a more miserable country to live in than war-torn nations like Syria, Mali and Afghanistan.

The Misery Index uses unemployment and inflation to assess conditions on the ground and the higher the rating, the more miserable a country is viewed to be.

"It is not fare to compare Namibia with those countries as Namibians have enjoyed peace, unity and stability since independence," the government defended itself.

According to a statement by the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology, to compare Namibia with countries that are ruined by war, where lives of human beings are not protected, is unfair.

"The Government of the Republic of Namibia in addition provides its citizens with welfare grants - to orphans, pensioners, those living with disabilities and the underprivileged," the ministry said.

According to the ministry, the fact that the report is based on two variables only, which are unemployment and inflation in the country, shows that the economist did not put much effort into his study.

"The Misery Index report misrepresents the true picture of Namibia and that is why many Namibians condemn the report. We therefore appeal to the public that when such reports appear they should ignore and shun them," the ministry said.

According to the ministry, it is clear that the report aims to destroy and undermine the efforts made by Namibian citizens who work tirelessly to bring about development and better living standards for all.

Local economic analysts have also condemned the international research, describing it as silly and senseless.

Other countries that are rated less miserable than Namibia include Mauritania, Iran, the Maldives, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Haiti and Swaziland.

The only countries rated as worse than Namibia are Djibouti, Turkmenistan, Belarus, Burkina Faso, Liberia and Zimbabwe.

A key yardstick used to arrive at the 'miserable' conclusion, according to the research, is that most citizens feel the pain of a high jobless rate and the soaring price of goods.

Statistics show that Namibia has an unemployment rate of 51.2 percent.