Namibians See Abortion As Justified in Some Contexts, Less Sure About Sex Work, Suicide, and Euthanasia

27 January 2026
Afrobarometer (Accra)
By Rehan Visser

Eight in 10 citizens say that women should make their own decisions about the number and timing of children they want.

Key findings

  • Eight in 10 Namibians (81%) say that women should make their own decisions about the number and timing of children they want.
  • Support for women's autonomy in childbearing decision is lower among adults with little or no education (72%) and senior citizens (72% of those aged 56 years and older).
  • Majorities of respondents say it is "sometimes" or "always" justified to terminate a pregnancy when there is a danger to the woman's health (72%), the pregnancy is a result of rape or incest (60%), or the woman cannot financially take care of the child (52%).
  • But fewer than half (46%) see abortion "for any reason" as justified.
  • Namibians who endorse women's reproductive autonomy are marginally more likely than those who don't to say that having an abortion for any reason is "never justified" (53% vs. 49%).
  • On average across 38 countries, 28% of citizens think terminating a pregnancy for any reason is at least sometimes justified.
  • Citizens are split on how frequently abortion happens in their communities: Four in 10 (41%) say it's a frequent occurrence, while a similar proportion (44%) say it "rarely" or "never" happens.
  • A slim majority (53%) of Namibians say it is "never justified" to engage in sex work.
  • The same proportion (53%) consider suicide "never justified."
  • Namibians are almost evenly divided on whether euthanasia is justified: 46% say "never," 48% say "sometimes" or "always."
  • Youth, urbanites, and women are more likely to consider sex work, suicide, and euthanasia "sometimes" or "always" justified than older generations, rural residents, and men.

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Abortion is legal in Namibia under certain strict conditions. Under the Abortion and Sterilization Act of South Africa - an inheritance from the pre-independence regime - pregnancies may be terminated when they are the result of rape or incest, or if they represent a serious threat to the health of either the woman or the child. The relatively constricted environment for obtaining legal abortion has led to unsafe abortion practices and "baby dumping," the abandonment of infants by those who are unable or unwilling to look after them (Legal Assistance Centre, 2020).

Legislative reform efforts have previously been countered by vociferous opposition from religious groups and conservative women's organisations (HEARD, 2016). Recent events indicate that support for widening the scope of pregnancy termination may be on the rise: In 2020, a petition to increase access to abortion received more than 60,000 signatures (Legal Assistance Centre, 2020).

Sex work is another contested practice that is partially decriminalised. Although exchanging sex for money is not illegal, related activities, including public solicitation, operating a brothel, and exposing oneself in public, are criminalised under municipal bylaws and the Combating of Immoral Practices Act. Civil-rights groups and legal experts have called for these laws to be amended to allow sex workers to work in safer environments, report crimes, and access health care. However, some Christian organisations argue that sex work contravenes the country's cultural values (Amutenja, 2025).

Attempted suicide is not illegal. As of 2024, Namibia had the 11th-highest suicide rate globally, with more than 500 cases annually (Haimbili, 2025). Among the primary drivers of suicide are unemployment, poverty, substance abuse, mental-health stigma, and societal expectations, all of which reportedly place young men at an elevated risk (Angula, 2023; Karuuombe, Iyambo, & Nembwaya, 2023).

Article 6 of the Namibian Constitution states that "the right to life shall be respected and protected" (Namibian, 2022). And while the question of euthanasia has never been decided by a court, assisted suicide is illegal (New Era, 2015). According to a representative from the

Ministry of Health and Social Services, the government has never considered legalising euthanasia, even though some medical practitioners argue that it should be considered for terminally ill patients as it grants them decision-making power over their own passing, which may be more dignified than the alternatives (Namibian, 2022).

This dispatch examines Namibians' views, as expressed in the latest Afrobarometer survey, on women's reproductive autonomy, sex work, suicide, and euthanasia - four sensitive social issues on which religious, cultural, family, and personal values may collide, reinforce each other, or interact in any number of different ways.

Survey findings show a society with divergent views. An overwhelming majority support women's freedom to decide for themselves when and how many children they want. Majorities also say that a woman should be able to terminate a pregnancy if it endangers her health, if it is a product of rape or incest, or if economic hardship leaves them incapable of adequately providing for a child.

But slightly fewer than half say women should be able to abort for any reason of their choosing. Surprisingly, respondents who endorse women's reproductive autonomy are more likely than those who oppose it to say that abortion for any reason is never justified.

Opinions are split on how frequently abortion occurs: Four in 10 say it is common, while a similar proportion believe it happens infrequently or not at all.

While slim majorities consider sex work and suicide unjustifiable, more than four in 10 disagree. Opinions are almost evenly split on whether euthanasia is justifiable.

Young Namibians, urbanites, and women are more accepting of these practices than older citizens, rural residents, and men.

Rehan Visser Rehan Visser is an editor at Afrobarometer

Read the original article on Afrobarometer.

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