People practicing open defecation in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)

Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income): People practicing open defecation was 0.1% in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
0.1%
Change on year
down 22.0%
Rank
38th
of 47 groups
All-time high
0.3%
in 2000
All-time low
0.1%
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

People practicing open defecation in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income), 2000–2024

0.050.10.150.20.250.32000201220242000: 0.305 % of population2001: 0.299 % of population2002: 0.286 % of population2003: 0.273 % of population2004: 0.26 % of population2005: 0.246 % of population2006: 0.233 % of population2007: 0.219 % of population2008: 0.206 % of population2009: 0.193 % of population2010: 0.182 % of population2011: 0.171 % of population2012: 0.161 % of population2013: 0.151 % of population2014: 0.141 % of population2015: 0.131 % of population2016: 0.122 % of population2017: 0.112 % of population2018: 0.103 % of population2019: 0.096 % of population2020: 0.086 % of population2021: 0.083 % of population2022: 0.082 % of population2023: 0.082 % of population2024: 0.064 % of population

Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene, World Health Organization (WHO). Measured in % of population.

Analysis

The most recent figure for people practicing open defecation in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) is 0.1%, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

The figure is down 22.0% on the previous year and down 54.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, people practicing open defecation in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) peaked at 0.3% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 2024.

Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) ranks 38th of 47 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.

People practicing open defecation in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income), year by year

Annual values for People practicing open defecation (% of population) in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income), 2000 to 2024.
Year % of population Change
2000 0.3%
2001 0.3% -1.9%
2002 0.3% -4.4%
2003 0.3% -4.6%
2004 0.3% -4.9%
2005 0.2% -5.1%
2006 0.2% -5.5%
2007 0.2% -6.0%
2008 0.2% -5.9%
2009 0.2% -6.2%
2010 0.2% -5.8%
2011 0.2% -5.8%
2012 0.2% -5.9%
2013 0.2% -6.2%
2014 0.1% -6.5%
2015 0.1% -6.9%
2016 0.1% -7.3%
2017 0.1% -7.8%
2018 0.1% -8.4%
2019 0.1% -6.5%
2020 0.1% -10.3%
2021 0.1% -3.9%
2022 0.1% -0.9%
2023 0.1% +0.1%
2024 0.1% -22.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 0.3% 0.2% 0.3% 10
2010s 0.1% 0.1% 0.2% 10
2020s 0.1% 0.1% 0.1% 5

Countries ranked near Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)

  1. 35 Pakistan 8.2% compare
  2. 36 Timor-Leste 7.9% compare
  3. 37 Guinea-Bissau 7.7% compare
  4. 38 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 7.1% compare
  5. 39 Marshall Islands 6.8% compare
  6. 40 Tanzania, United Republic of 6.8% compare
  7. 41 Myanmar 6.7% compare

See the full ranking of 261 places →

More health data for Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)

All data for Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) →

Frequently asked questions

What is people practicing open defecation in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)?
People practicing open defecation in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) was 0.1% 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 Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)?
The highest recorded value was 0.3% in 2000.
What is the lowest people practicing open defecation recorded in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)?
The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 2024.
How does Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) rank for people practicing open defecation?
Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) ranks 38th out of 47 groups with data for 2024.
Is people practicing open defecation rising or falling in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)?
Over the last ten years it is down 54.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) 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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People practicing open defecation in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income). Statizoid, drawing on WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene, World Health Organization (WHO). Retrieved 12 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/people-practicing-open-defecation-percent-of-population/europe-and-central-asia-excluding-high-income/

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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

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.