People practicing open defecation in Arab World
Arab World: People practicing open defecation was 3.0% in 2024. ▼ Falling
People practicing open defecation in Arab World, 2000–2024
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene, World Health Organization (WHO). Measured in % of population.
Analysis
In 2024, people practicing open defecation in Arab World stood at 3.0%. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
That represents a change of down 11.4% on the previous year and down 58.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, people practicing open defecation in Arab World peaked at 14.7% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 3.0%, in 2024.
Arab World ranks 26th of 45 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
People practicing open defecation in Arab World, year by year
| Year | % of population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 14.7% | — |
| 2001 | 14.3% | -2.6% |
| 2002 | 14.0% | -2.0% |
| 2003 | 13.6% | -2.9% |
| 2004 | 13.2% | -3.1% |
| 2005 | 12.6% | -4.5% |
| 2006 | 12.0% | -4.8% |
| 2007 | 11.5% | -4.4% |
| 2008 | 10.7% | -7.0% |
| 2009 | 10.1% | -5.4% |
| 2010 | 9.5% | -5.6% |
| 2011 | 8.9% | -6.2% |
| 2012 | 8.4% | -6.4% |
| 2013 | 7.8% | -6.4% |
| 2014 | 7.3% | -6.5% |
| 2015 | 6.8% | -6.7% |
| 2016 | 5.9% | -13.7% |
| 2017 | 5.7% | -2.9% |
| 2018 | 5.3% | -7.1% |
| 2019 | 4.9% | -7.7% |
| 2020 | 4.5% | -8.2% |
| 2021 | 4.1% | -8.2% |
| 2022 | 3.7% | -9.3% |
| 2023 | 3.4% | -9.5% |
| 2024 | 3.0% | -11.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 12.7% | 10.1% | 14.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.1% | 4.9% | 9.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.8% | 3.0% | 4.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Arab World
- 23 Mozambique 16.0% compare
- 24 Djibouti 15.9% compare
- 25 Papua New Guinea 15.6% compare
- 26 Sierra Leone 15.3% compare
- 27 Lesotho 14.8% compare
- 28 Somalia 14.4% compare
- 29 Zimbabwe 12.6% compare
More health data for Arab World
- Population ages 0-14, female, annual growth rate 1.03 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, male, annual growth rate 2.65 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, female, per capita 0.3003 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, female, annual growth rate 2.52 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, total, per capita 0.3196 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, total, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, total, annual growth rate 1.01 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, per capita 0.1632 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is people practicing open defecation in Arab World?
- People practicing open defecation in Arab World was 3.0% in 2024, according to WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene, World Health Organization (WHO).
- What is the highest people practicing open defecation recorded in Arab World?
- The highest recorded value was 14.7% in 2000.
- What is the lowest people practicing open defecation recorded in Arab World?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.0% in 2024.
- How does Arab World rank for people practicing open defecation?
- Arab World ranks 26th out of 45 groups with data for 2024.
- Is people practicing open defecation rising or falling in Arab World?
- Over the last ten years it is down 58.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Arab World data come from?
- The figures come from WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene, World Health Organization (WHO), published as part of People practicing open defecation (% of population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
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.