About 85 % of Namibians are black, 5 % of European ancestry, and 10 %, in South African terminology, Coloured (Cape Coloured, Nama, and Rehobother). Of the black majority, about two-thirds are Ovambo, with the Kavango, the Herero, the Damara, and the Caprivian peoples following in population size. Other ethnic groups have much smaller populations. Afrikaners and Germans constitute two-thirds and one-fifth of the European population, respectively. Most ethnic Europeans are Namibian citizens, though some have retained South African citizenship.

English is the national language, though it is the home language of only about 3 % of the population. Ovambo languages are spoken by more than 80 % of the population, followed by Nama-Damara with about 6 %. Kavango and Caprivian languages and Herero, as well as Afrikaans, constitute about 4 % of home languages. Many Namibians speak two or more indigenous languages and at least a little of two of the three European languages in common use.

Modern education and medical care have been extended in varying degrees to most rural areas in recent years. The literacy rate of Africans is generally low except in sections where missionary and government education efforts have been concentrated, such as Ovamboland. The Africans speak various indigenous languages. The minority white population is primarily of South African, British, and German descent. About 60% of the whites speak Afrikaans,30% speak German, and 10% speak English.