Mountains with snow-capped peaks in the background and a modern building on a grassy hillside in the foreground.

Ovambo

  • Largest ethnic group (about 50% of population)

  • Kwanyama, Ndonga, Kwambi, Ngandjera, Mbalantu, etc.

  • Oshiwambo (includes dialects like Oshikwanyama & Oshindonga)

  • Northern Namibia (especially Oshana, Ohangwena, Omusati, and Oshikoto)

Modern house with wooden paneling and large glass window, set against a mountainous landscape with sparse vegetation.

Kavango

  • Kwangali, Mbunza, Shambyu, Gciriku, Mbukushu

  • RuKwangali, Thimbukushu, Shambyu, Gciriku

  • Kavango East and Kavango West along the Okavango River

Modern house with wood siding and large glass windows situated in a mountainous landscape with grassy hills and snow-capped peaks in the background.

Herero

  • Herero, Mbanderu, Himba (Note: The Himba are semi-nomadic and culturally distinct, with red ochre body adornment.)

  • Central and eastern Namibia (Otjozondjupa, Omaheke), Himba in Kunene Region

  • Northern Namibia (especially Oshana, Ohangwena, Omusati, and Oshikoto)

A scenic mountain landscape with snow-capped peaks, rolling grassy hills, and a modern building on the hillside.

Damara

  • (San) Culturally unique with both Bantu and Khoisan heritage

  • Khoekhoegowab (also spoken by the Nama)

  • Erongo and Kunene Regions

Modern buildings on a green hillside with snowy mountains in the background under a cloudy sky.

Tswana (Batswana)

  • Small population, culturally similar to Botswana’s Tswana

  • Setswana

  • Eastern Namibia near Botswana border (Otjombinde area).

Scenic landscape of a mountain range with snow-capped peaks, grassy hills in the foreground, and modern buildings nestled on the hillside.

Afrikaaner

  • Descendants of Dutch settlers; Afrikaans is widely spoken and understood even outside this group.

  • Afrikaans

  • Urban areas throughout Namibia

Ethnic Groups and Tribes of Namibia

Modern small house with wooden exterior, large window, and flat roof, surrounded by low shrubs, with mountain landscape in the background.

Nama

  • San Bushmen (Traditional pastoralists with a rich oral storytelling tradition)

  • Khoekhoegowab (Khoekhoe or Nama-Damara language)

  • Southern Namibia (Hardap and ǁKaras Regions)

Modern house with wooden exterior and large glass windows set against mountainous landscape

Caprivians

  • These are tribes located in the Zambezi Region (formerly Caprivi Strip):

    • Lozi (Silozi)

    • Subiya

    • Yeyi

    • Mbukushu (also in Kavango)

  • Silozi, Subiya, Yeyi, Mbukushu

  • Zambezi Region (northeast)

Modern wooden house with large glass window in a mountainous landscape surrounded by grass and plants.

Germans

  • A legacy of colonial rule; small but influential cultural group

  • German (Namibian German)

  • Mostly Swakopmund, Windhoek, and other central towns.

Modern house with wooden exterior in mountainous landscape, stone steps, and stone walls, with hills and mountains in the background.

San (Bushmen)

  • !Kung, Ju/’hoansi, Hai//om, and others. (Note: Among the oldest cultures on Earth, known for tracking, hunter-gatherer skills, and rock art)

  • Various Khoe and San languages (e.g. Juǀʼhoan, !Xun)

  • Mostly in northeast (Otjozondjupa, Omaheke, Kavango, Zambezi), but also Etosha area

Modern house with wood siding and large glass windows in a mountainous landscape with green hills and snow-capped peaks in the background

Coloured / Baster People

  • Descendants of mixed ancestry (European and African); culturally distinct, with Baster identity rooted in migration from the Cape.

  • Afrikaans, Nama

  • Central Namibia, particularly Rehoboth

A modern house with wooden and white exterior walls, a large front window, set against a mountainous landscape with tall, rocky peaks in the background.

English-speaking Namibians

  • Urban areas across the country