Minimum Wage Namibia 2026: Rates by Sector

Quick answer: The minimum wage in Namibia for 2026 is N$18 (Namibian dollars) per hour for most employees. Security workers must earn at least N$16, domestic workers N$15 and agricultural workers N$14 per hour. Under the official Wage Order, all three groups move to N$18 per hour in January 2027.

Key takeaways

The national minimum wage of N$18 per hour has applied to most Namibian employees since 1 January 2025.
Domestic, agricultural and security workers are on a phased scale that reaches N$18 per hour in January 2027.
The minimum covers basic pay for ordinary hours only, so allowances, overtime, bonuses and tips cannot be counted towards it.
Members of the Defence Force, police, correctional services and intelligence services are not covered by the Wage Order.
Government says bidders that underpay their staff can be shut out of public contracts.

Last updated: 3 October 2026

If you are checking your payslip, hiring a domestic worker or quoting for a government tender, the minimum wage Namibia 2026 rates are the numbers you need. The national floor is N$18 (Namibian dollars) per hour, but three groups of workers are still climbing towards it. This guide sets out every hourly rate, converts them into rough monthly figures and explains what employers can and cannot count as pay.

What is the minimum wage in Namibia in 2026?

For most employees the minimum wage is N$18 per hour, a rate that took effect on 1 January 2025 and still applies in 2026. Lower transitional rates apply to security, domestic and agricultural workers until January 2027.

The rates come from the Wage Order Setting the National Minimum Wage for Employees, 2024 (Government Notice 218 of 2024), made under section 13 of the Labour Act, 2007. According to New Era, Cabinet endorsed the N$18 figure in June 2024 after recommendations from the Wages Commission, and the order was published in the Government Gazette on 7 August 2024. It has since been amended twice, in January 2025 and October 2025.

Minimum wage Namibia 2026 rates by sector

There are four hourly rates in force this year. The list below shows the 2025 starting point, the current 2026 rate and the rate scheduled for January 2027.

Most employees (general rate): 1 January 2025: N$18.00 → 1 January 2026: N$18.00 → January 2027: N$18.00
Security workers: 1 January 2025: N$13.50 → 1 January 2026: N$16.00 → January 2027: N$18.00
Domestic workers: 1 January 2025: N$12.00 → 1 January 2026: N$15.00 → January 2027: N$18.00
Agricultural workers: 1 January 2025: N$10.00 → 1 January 2026: N$14.00 → January 2027: N$18.00

The Wage Order defines domestic workers broadly. Child-minders, cooks, private drivers, gardeners and housekeepers working in a household all fall into this group. Agricultural workers are people employed by farming businesses or agricultural employers, and security workers are those hired to protect or guard people or property. The security category was added to the order in January 2025.

How much is the minimum wage in Namibia per month?

The order sets an hourly rate, not a monthly salary, so your monthly minimum depends on how many ordinary hours you work. The figures below are worked examples only, calculated as hourly rate × weekly hours × 52 weeks ÷ 12 months.

N$18.00 (general): about N$3,120 for a 40-hour week; about N$3,510 for a 45-hour week
N$16.00 (security): about N$2,773 for a 40-hour week; about N$3,120 for a 45-hour week
N$15.00 (domestic): about N$2,600 for a 40-hour week; about N$2,925 for a 45-hour week
N$14.00 (agricultural): about N$2,427 for a 40-hour week; about N$2,730 for a 45-hour week

These are gross amounts before any lawful deductions. If you work fewer hours, the monthly minimum is lower in proportion; what cannot drop is the hourly rate for each ordinary hour you work.

What counts towards the minimum wage, and what does not?

Only basic pay for ordinary working hours counts. Employers cannot reach the minimum by adding allowances, extras or benefits on top of a low base rate.

The Wage Order excludes the following from the calculation:

allowances for tools, equipment, food or accommodation;
travel, subsistence, housing and transport allowances;
bonuses, tips, gratuities and gifts;
overtime pay and extra pay for Sunday or public holiday work;
pay for night work;
pension, insurance or medical benefit payments.

The order also requires that the minimum be paid in full, without deductions for in-kind benefits such as food or housing. Labour minister Utoni Nujoma said, as reported by New Era, that the wage must be paid in cash or by cash transfer and cannot be reduced by rations. This matters most on farms and in private homes, where meals and a room have often been treated as part of the wage.

Who is not covered by the national minimum wage?

Uniformed and security services run by the state are outside the order. Members of the Namibian Defence Force, the police forces, correctional services and the intelligence services are excluded from it.

All other employees are covered, including domestic workers in private households and workers in sectors that never had a sectoral minimum. Before the national order, New Era noted, only security, agriculture and construction had sector-wide minimums, plus a separate order for domestic workers. Construction workers now fall under the general N$18 rate.

What changes in January 2027?

From January 2027 the transitional scale ends and security, domestic and agricultural workers all reach the general rate of N$18 per hour. In practice that is a further N$2 an hour for security workers, N$3 for domestic workers and N$4 for farm workers.

The Informanté report on the ministry's media release says the Wages Commission is to review the national minimum wage once every two years, so the general rate itself could change after a review. Employers with farm, household or security staff should budget now for the January increase rather than wait for the new year.

What should you do if you are paid below the minimum?

Check your hourly rate first, then raise it with your employer and, if that fails, report it. Government has asked the public to report non-compliance to the Ministry of Justice and Labour Relations.

Work out your hourly rate. Divide your basic monthly pay, excluding allowances and overtime, by the ordinary hours you worked that month.
Compare it with your category. Use the 2026 rates above and make sure you are in the right group: a gardener at a private house is a domestic worker, while a gardener at a hotel is not.
Keep records. Save payslips, contracts and a note of your working hours.
Speak to your employer or union. Point to the rate for your category in the Wage Order.
Report it. Contact the Ministry of Justice and Labour Relations if the problem is not resolved.

Businesses have an extra reason to comply. According to the ministry's release, bidders that fail to meet the minimum wage can be passed over for public contracts, and existing contracts can be cancelled if an employer is found to be non-compliant.

Common mistakes employers and workers make

Counting housing or meals as wages. Neither may be used to top up pay to the minimum.
Using the wrong year's rate. Security, domestic and farm rates rose on 1 January 2026; paying the 2025 figures is underpayment.
Treating overtime as part of the base. Overtime is paid on top of the minimum, not instead of it.
Assuming the rate is enough to live on. Labour researcher Herbert Jauch wrote in an opinion piece, quoted by New Era, that workers on N$18 an hour will "still struggle to make ends meet". The minimum is a legal floor, not a recommended salary.

What this means for you

If you are job hunting in Windhoek, Walvis Bay, Oshakati or anywhere else in the country, no job offer should pay less than the minimum wage Namibia 2026 rate for its category. When you compare offers, convert each one to an hourly rate and check it against the rates above. For more on pay and work in Namibia, see our articles "Namibia Mining Jobs: MPs Flag Labour Hire Abuses (2026)" and "ZAMCO Workers Unpaid Wages: Katima Mulilo Staff Petition PM".

Frequently asked questions

What is the minimum wage in Namibia per hour in 2026?

The general minimum wage is N$18 per hour. Security workers must be paid at least N$16, domestic workers N$15 and agricultural workers N$14 per hour during 2026.

How much is the minimum wage for domestic workers in Namibia?

Domestic workers must earn at least N$15 per hour from 1 January 2026, up from N$12 in 2025. The rate rises to N$18 per hour in January 2027.

What is the minimum wage for farm workers in Namibia?

Agricultural workers must be paid at least N$14 per hour in 2026. This rises to N$18 per hour from January 2027, when the phased scale ends.

Can an employer deduct food or housing from the minimum wage?

No. The Wage Order says the minimum must be paid without deductions for in-kind benefits such as food or accommodation. Allowances, bonuses, tips and overtime also cannot be counted towards it.

Does the minimum wage apply to the police and the Namibian Defence Force?

No. Members of the Defence Force, the police forces, correctional services and the intelligence services are excluded from the Wage Order.

When will the minimum wage in Namibia be reviewed?

According to the ministry's media release reported by Informanté, the Wages Commission is to review the national minimum wage once every two years. The phased rates for security, domestic and farm workers already reach N$18 in January 2027.

Where can I find the minimum wage Namibia gazette?

The rates are in the Wage Order Setting the National Minimum Wage for Employees, 2024, Government Notice 218 of 2024. An up-to-date consolidated version with the 2025 amendments is published on NamibLII, the Namibian legal information website.

Sources

This article was compiled by Jobsiz from the sources listed above, with AI-assisted writing and automated fact-checking. Published 3 October 2026. We update stories when new verified information becomes available.

Minimum Wage Namibia 2026: Hourly Rates and Monthly Pay