People practicing open defecation (% of population): Q5 in Malawi

Malawi: People practicing open defecation (% of population): Q5 was 0.5% in 2017. ▼ Falling

Latest (2017)
0.5%
Change on year
down 10.4%
World rank
22nd
of 97 countries
All-time high
1.5%
in 2000
All-time low
0.5%
in 2017
Years of data
18
2000–2017

People practicing open defecation (% of population): Q5 in Malawi, 2000–2017

0.60.811.21.41.62000200820172000: 1.5 highest2001: 1.4 highest2002: 1.4 highest2003: 1.3 highest2004: 1.3 highest2005: 1.2 highest2006: 1.2 highest2007: 1.1 highest2008: 1 highest2009: 0.975 highest2010: 0.916 highest2011: 0.857 highest2012: 0.799 highest2013: 0.74 highest2014: 0.682 highest2015: 0.623 highest2016: 0.564 highest2017: 0.506 highest

Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (washdata.org). Measured in highest.

Analysis

In 2017, people practicing open defecation (% of population): q5 in Malawi stood at 0.5%. That is the lowest value across all 18 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 10.4% on the previous year and down 53.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, people practicing open defecation (% of population): q5 in Malawi peaked at 1.5% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 0.5%, in 2017.

That places Malawi 22nd out of 97 countries with data for 2017, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 18 years of available data.

People practicing open defecation (% of population): Q5 in Malawi, year by year

Annual values for People practicing open defecation (% of population): Q5 (highest) in Malawi, 2000 to 2017.
Year highest Change
2000 1.5%
2001 1.4% -3.9%
2002 1.4% -4.1%
2003 1.3% -4.2%
2004 1.3% -4.4%
2005 1.2% -4.6%
2006 1.2% -4.8%
2007 1.1% -5.1%
2008 1.0% -5.4%
2009 1.0% -5.7%
2010 0.9% -6.0%
2011 0.9% -6.4%
2012 0.8% -6.8%
2013 0.7% -7.3%
2014 0.7% -7.9%
2015 0.6% -8.6%
2016 0.6% -9.4%
2017 0.5% -10.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 1.2% 1.0% 1.5% 10
2010s 0.7% 0.5% 0.9% 8

Countries ranked near Malawi

  1. 19 Haiti 0.6% compare
  2. 20 Indonesia 0.6% compare
  3. 21 Cote d'Ivoire 0.6% compare
  4. 23 Congo 0.4% compare
  5. 24 Zimbabwe 0.4% compare
  6. 25 Bolivia 0.4% compare

See the full ranking of 97 places →

More health data for Malawi

All data for Malawi →

Frequently asked questions

What is people practicing open defecation (% of population): q5 in Malawi?
People practicing open defecation (% of population): q5 in Malawi was 0.5% in 2017, according to WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (washdata.org).
What is the highest people practicing open defecation (% of population): q5 recorded in Malawi?
The highest recorded value was 1.5% in 2000.
What is the lowest people practicing open defecation (% of population): q5 recorded in Malawi?
The lowest recorded value was 0.5% in 2017.
How does Malawi rank for people practicing open defecation (% of population): q5?
Malawi ranks 22nd out of 97 countries with data for 2017.
Is people practicing open defecation (% of population): q5 rising or falling in Malawi?
Over the last ten years it is down 53.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Malawi data come from?
The figures come from WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (washdata.org), published as part of People practicing open defecation (% of population): Q5 (highest). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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People practicing open defecation (% of population): Q5 in Malawi. Statizoid, drawing on WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (washdata.org). Retrieved 29 August 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/people-practicing-open-defecation-percent-of-population-q5-highest/malawi/

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About this data

Indicator
People practicing open defecation (% of population): Q5 (highest)
Unit
highest
Source
WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (washdata.org)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
97 places, 1,672 data points, 2000–2017
Last refreshed