What is the difference in people practicing open defecation between Democratic Republic of Congo and Laos?

3.0%, with Democratic Republic of Congo ahead.

How many years of comparable data are there for Democratic Republic of Congo and Laos?

25 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2024.

Where does this data come from?

WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene, World Health Organization (WHO), published as People practicing open defecation (% of population). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Democratic Republic of Congo vs Laos: People practicing open defecation

Democratic Republic of Congo

11.7%

in 2024

Laos

8.7%

in 2024

Democratic Republic of Congo rank

30th

Laos rank

33rd

People practicing open defecation over time

Democratic Republic of Congo
Laos

How they compare

Democratic Republic of Congo currently reports 11.7% against 8.7% in Laos, a difference of 3.0%.

That makes Democratic Republic of Congo's figure about 1.3 times Laos's.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 25 shared years of data; in 2000 it was Laos ahead.

Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 30th and Laos ranks 33rd of 214 countries.

Laos has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Democratic Republic of Congo	Laos	Difference	Ahead
2000s	10.9%	49.9%	39.0%	Laos
2010s	11.7%	27.3%	15.7%	Laos
2020s	11.8%	12.1%	0.3%	Laos

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher people practicing open defecation, Democratic Republic of Congo or Laos?: Democratic Republic of Congo, at 11.7% against 8.7% in Laos as of 2024.
What is the difference in people practicing open defecation between Democratic Republic of Congo and Laos?: 3.0%, with Democratic Republic of Congo ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Democratic Republic of Congo and Laos?: 25 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2024.
How do Democratic Republic of Congo and Laos rank globally for people practicing open defecation?: Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 30th and Laos ranks 33rd of 214 countries.
Where does this data come from?: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene, World Health Organization (WHO), published as People practicing open defecation (% of population). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Democratic Republic of Congo vs Laos: People practicing open defecation. Statizoid, drawing on WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene, World Health Organization (WHO). Retrieved 02 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/compare/people-practicing-open-defecation-percent-of-population/congo-dem-rep/lao-pdr/

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<a href="https://health.statizoid.com/compare/people-practicing-open-defecation-percent-of-population/congo-dem-rep/lao-pdr/">Democratic Republic of Congo vs Laos: People practicing open defecation</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator: People practicing open defecation (% of population)
Unit: % of population
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene, World Health Organization (WHO)
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage: 261 places, 6,240 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed: 20 August 2026

People practicing open defecation refers to the percentage of the population defecating in the open, such as in fields, forest, bushes, open bodies of water, on beaches, in other open spaces or disposed of with solid waste.