People practicing open defecation (% of population) in Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: People practicing open defecation (% of population) was 29.9% in 2024. ▼ Falling
People practicing open defecation in Burkina Faso, 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 Burkina Faso stood at 29.9%. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
That represents a change of down 5.2% on the previous year and down 36.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, people practicing open defecation in Burkina Faso peaked at 74.1% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 29.9%, in 2024.
That places Burkina Faso 12th out of 214 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
People practicing open defecation (% of population) in Burkina Faso, year by year
| Year | % of population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 74.1% | — |
| 2001 | 73.6% | -0.7% |
| 2002 | 71.4% | -3.0% |
| 2003 | 69.2% | -3.1% |
| 2004 | 67.0% | -3.2% |
| 2005 | 64.8% | -3.3% |
| 2006 | 62.6% | -3.3% |
| 2007 | 60.6% | -3.3% |
| 2008 | 58.6% | -3.2% |
| 2009 | 56.7% | -3.3% |
| 2010 | 54.8% | -3.4% |
| 2011 | 52.9% | -3.5% |
| 2012 | 51.0% | -3.6% |
| 2013 | 49.2% | -3.7% |
| 2014 | 47.3% | -3.8% |
| 2015 | 45.5% | -3.9% |
| 2016 | 43.7% | -4.0% |
| 2017 | 41.9% | -4.1% |
| 2018 | 40.1% | -4.2% |
| 2019 | 38.4% | -4.4% |
| 2020 | 36.6% | -4.5% |
| 2021 | 34.9% | -4.7% |
| 2022 | 33.2% | -4.9% |
| 2023 | 31.5% | -5.0% |
| 2024 | 29.9% | -5.2% |
Burkina Faso compared with similar countries
- Burkina Faso's 29.9% is above the median for low income countries, which is 14.4%, 2.1× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Burkina Faso's 29.9% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 12.1%, 2.5× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 65.9% | 56.7% | 74.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 46.5% | 38.4% | 54.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 33.2% | 29.9% | 36.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Burkina Faso
- 9 Sao Tome and Principe 33.3% compare
- 10 Kiribati 32.4% compare
- 11 Togo 32.2% compare
- 13 Madagascar 27.0% compare
- 14 Angola 25.7% compare
- 15 Central African Republic 24.7% compare
More health data for Burkina Faso
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.67 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.8925 % change on previous year (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 13,085 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 4 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 0.8681 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0693 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.7133 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0714 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is people practicing open defecation in Burkina Faso?
- People practicing open defecation in Burkina Faso was 29.9% 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 Burkina Faso?
- The highest recorded value was 74.1% in 2000.
- What is the lowest people practicing open defecation recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The lowest recorded value was 29.9% in 2024.
- How does Burkina Faso rank for people practicing open defecation?
- Burkina Faso ranks 12th out of 214 countries with data for 2024.
- Is people practicing open defecation rising or falling in Burkina Faso?
- Over the last ten years it is down 36.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Burkina Faso 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.
Download this data
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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.