Average Alcohol and Drug Counselor Salary in Windhoek, Namibia for 2026

In this article, we will look at the average Alcohol and Drug Counselor salary for 2026 in Windhoek and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the Namibian dollar. To keep things simple, we are using the NAD currency code instead of the currency symbol $.

How Much Does an Alcohol and Drug Counselor Make in Windhoek?

An Alcohol and Drug Counselor working in Windhoek will typically earn around 245,300 NAD per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 125,700 NAD to the highest average salary of 375,200 NAD.

Average Annual Salary245,300 NAD
Average Monthly Salary20,441 NAD
Average Lowest Salary125,700 NAD
Lowest Monthly Salary10,475 NAD
Average Highest Salary375,200 NAD
Highest Monthly Salary31,266 NAD

These are average salaries for an Alcohol and Drug Counselor in Windhoek and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for an Alcohol and Drug Counselor to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Alcohol and Drug Counselor salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of Alcohol and Drug Counselor Salaries in Windhoek

So we've looked at the average salaries an Alcohol and Drug Counselor will earn in Windhoek. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that an Alcohol and Drug Counselor can earn between 125,700 NAD and 375,200 NAD on average in Windhoek. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for an Alcohol and Drug Counselor in Windhoek is 233,900 NAD. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 233,900 NAD, and 50% of the population earn more than 233,900 NAD.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average Alcohol and Drug Counselor salary in Windhoek, 25% of the population are earning less than 161,600 NAD while 75% of the population earn more than 161,600 NAD.

75% of the population earn less than 294,700 NAD, and 25% of the population earn more than 294,700 NAD.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

The difference between a median and an average salary

The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.

  • If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
  • If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
  • If you are somewhere in between then it's tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.

Alcohol and Drug Counselor Salary by Experience Level in Windhoek

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average Alcohol and Drug Counselor salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

  • 0 - 2 Years Experience. An Alcohol and Drug Counselor in Windhoek that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 146,200 NAD.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Alcohol and Drug Counselor salary would increase to 194,600 NAD.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as an Alcohol and Drug Counselor, the average salary would be 253,400 NAD.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 307,400 NAD.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. An Alcohol and Drug Counselor with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 332,100 NAD.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For an Alcohol and Drug Counselor with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 351,900 NAD.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years-
146,200 NAD
2-5 Years+34%
194,600 NAD
5-10 Years+30%
253,400 NAD
10-15 Years+21%
307,400 NAD
15-20 Years+9%
332,100 NAD
20+ Years+5%
351,900 NAD

Alcohol and Drug Counselor Salary by Education Level in Windhoek

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for an Alcohol and Drug Counselor in Windhoek based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • Bachelor's Degree. An Alcohol and Drug Counselor in Windhoek with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 187,300 NAD.
  • Master's Degree. An Alcohol and Drug Counselor in Windhoek with a master's degree education can earn an average salary of 232,900 NAD.
  • PhD. An Alcohol and Drug Counselor in Windhoek with a phd education can earn an average salary of 369,900 NAD.

Average Salary by Education Chart

Bachelor's Degree-
187,300 NAD
Master's Degree+24%
232,900 NAD
PhD+60%
369,900 NAD

How Much is a Master's Degree or MBA Program?

The approximate cost of a master's degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in Namibia is around 87,200 to 262,000 NAD and takes two years to complete.

As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master's degree level, but don't expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.

It's common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.

Whether you decide to pursue a master's degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.

Alcohol and Drug Counselor Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In Windhoek, a male alcohol and drug counselor will earn an average of 233,600 NAD, while a female alcohol and drug counselor will earn around 216,800 NAD.

This means that a male alcohol and drug counselor earns approximately 8% more than a female alcohol and drug counselor for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in Windhoek

Male-
233,600 NAD
Female-8%
216,800 NAD

Alcohol and Drug Counselor Average Pay Raise in Windhoek

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for an Alcohol and Drug Counselor in Windhoek is around 8% every 29 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in Namibia is around 4% every 29 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 8 ÷ 29 ) × 12  = 3%

What this means is that an Alcohol and Drug Counselor in Windhoek can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 3% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in Windhoek for 2026

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in Namibia.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Banking-
5%
Energy-
1%
Information Technology-
6%
Healthcare-
2%
Travel-
7%
Construction-
3%
Education-
8%

Alcohol and Drug Counselor Bonus and Incentive Rates in Windhoek

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

An Alcohol and Drug Counselor is a low bonus based job, with 39% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

61% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 6%.

Received Bonus-
39%
No Bonus-
61%

What are the Types of Bonus?

There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:

  • Individual performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It's the most common type of bonus.
  • Company performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
  • Goal based bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
  • Holiday bonus - This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in Namibia earn approximately 8% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector-
215,100 NAD
Private Sector-8%
200,000 NAD

Salaries for Jobs Similar to an Alcohol and Drug Counselor

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to an Alcohol and Drug Counselor in Windhoek.

Job TitleCategorySalary
Adoption Services DirectorCounseling283,400 NAD
Assistant InstructorCounseling106,500 NAD
Career CounselorCounseling247,800 NAD
ConsultantCounseling239,300 NAD
Director of Rehabilitation ServicesCounseling341,400 NAD
Disability ConsultantCounseling209,500 NAD
Employment CounselorCounseling247,800 NAD
Family AdvocateCounseling163,800 NAD
Family Services SpecialistCounseling180,500 NAD
Family Support SpecialistCounseling267,100 NAD
Family Youth WorkerCounseling80,800 NAD
Guidance CounselorCounseling252,300 NAD
Guidance DirectorCounseling308,300 NAD
Mental Health CounselorCounseling277,400 NAD
Mental Health TherapistCounseling239,000 NAD
Programs CoordinatorCounseling138,800 NAD
PsychologistCounseling327,300 NAD
Supervising CounselorCounseling265,000 NAD
Vocational Rehabilitation CounselorCounseling252,300 NAD
Youth AdvocateCounseling143,200 NAD
Youth Care CounselorCounseling273,300 NAD
Youth Care SpecialistCounseling151,800 NAD
Youth Development ManagerCounseling313,700 NAD

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