Namibia generated N$3.4 billion from uranium exports to China in September 2026, making uranium the country’s largest export commodity during the month, according to the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA).
The latest International Merchandise Trade Statistics Bulletin shows that uranium accounted for 27.7% of Namibia’s total export earnings of N$12.2 billion, with all uranium exports destined for China.
Non-monetary gold was the country’s second-largest export commodity, generating N$1.4 billion and accounting for 11.2% of total exports, with all shipments destined for South Africa.
The NSA reported that uranium and gold remained among Namibia’s leading sources of export revenue, contributing significantly to the country’s merchandise trade earnings.
“Contrastingly, the country recorded trade surpluses on commodities such as uranium (N$3.4 billion), non-monetary gold N$1.4 billion as well as fish with a surplus of N$1.0 billion,” the report states.
Other major mineral exports included nickel ores and concentrates, valued at N$736 million, and ores and concentrates of base metals, which generated N$709 million.
The mining and quarrying sector remained Namibia’s largest export contributor, generating N$6.2 billion and accounting for more than half of total export earnings during September.
However, the sector recorded a decline of N$266 million compared with August 2026.
“Regarding the sectoral composition of exports, the Mining and Quarrying sector remained the largest contributor in September 2026, with exports valued at N$6.2 billion, accounting for more than half of Namibia’s total export earnings. Compared to the previous month, exports in this sector decreased by N$266 million,” the NSA said.
Overall, Namibia’s merchandise exports declined by 3.4% month-on-month to N$12.2 billion in September, although earnings increased by 64.8% compared with the corresponding period in 2025.
Meanwhile, the country’s import bill reached N$16.9 billion, resulting in a merchandise trade deficit of N$4.7 billion, widening from N$3.9 billion recorded in August.
Despite the overall deficit, Namibia recorded a trade surplus of N$2.4 billion with China during September, supported by uranium export earnings.
The figures underline the importance of uranium and other mineral commodities to Namibia’s export sector, with mining and quarrying continuing to account for the largest share of the country’s merchandise export earnings.
