CHAMWE KAIRA
Namibia has been ranked 90th out of 110 economies in the World Economic Forum’s 2026 Travel & Tourism Development Index (TTDI), scoring 3.50 points out of seven.
The ranking places Namibia among the lower half of economies assessed by the World Economic Forum (WEF), with the country recording a seven-place decline from its 2024 ranking. Its score also decreased by 0.2% compared with 2024.
Compared with the recalculated 2019 results included in the 2026 index, Namibia is ranked six places lower, while its score is 0.1% higher.
The TTDI, released on 25 September 2026, measures the factors and policies that enable the sustainable and resilient development of travel and tourism.
It does not directly measure tourism performance such as tourist arrivals, spending or revenue.
Namibia ranked 10th among the African economies shown in the index. Mauritius was the highest-ranked African economy at 59th globally with a score of 4.07, followed by South Africa at 61st with 3.99, Egypt at 63rd with 3.97, Morocco at 70th with 3.84 and Tanzania at 74th with 3.70.
Kenya ranked 77th with 3.67, Tunisia 82nd with 3.62, Botswana 84th with 3.57 and Algeria 89th with 3.52, placing Namibia immediately below Algeria.
The WEF said tourism development conditions improved across most economies between 2024 and 2026. A total of 101 of the 110 economies, or 92%, improved their TTDI scores, while average scores increased by 2.1%, the fastest improvement since 2019.
Namibia’s decline in ranking therefore occurred against a broader period of improvement in tourism development conditions globally.
The WEF said improvements across the index were driven particularly by cultural resources, tourism infrastructure and services, and air connectivity.
It also identified rising costs, investment gaps, workforce shortages and sustainability pressures as growing challenges for tourism development.
The global ranking was led by Japan with a score of 5.27, followed by the United States at 5.23, Spain at 5.22, Australia at 5.18 and France at 5.17. China was the only non-advanced economy in the global top 10.
The WEF cautions that the 2026 results should be compared with earlier editions using the recalculated historical data published in the latest report because of data revisions and changes in indicators and methodology.
The 2026 results are based on the latest data available when the information was collected in May 2026.
