People practicing open defecation in India
India: People practicing open defecation was 6.7% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
People practicing open defecation in India, 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 India stood at 6.7%. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
That represents a change of down 25.5% on the previous year and down 79.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, people practicing open defecation in India peaked at 73.2% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 6.7%, in 2024.
That places India 42nd out of 214 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
People practicing open defecation in India, year by year
| Year | % of population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 73.2% | — |
| 2001 | 70.3% | -4.0% |
| 2002 | 67.3% | -4.2% |
| 2003 | 64.4% | -4.3% |
| 2004 | 61.5% | -4.5% |
| 2005 | 58.6% | -4.7% |
| 2006 | 55.8% | -4.9% |
| 2007 | 52.9% | -5.1% |
| 2008 | 50.1% | -5.4% |
| 2009 | 47.2% | -5.6% |
| 2010 | 44.4% | -6.0% |
| 2011 | 41.6% | -6.3% |
| 2012 | 38.8% | -6.7% |
| 2013 | 36.1% | -7.1% |
| 2014 | 33.3% | -7.7% |
| 2015 | 30.6% | -8.3% |
| 2016 | 27.8% | -8.9% |
| 2017 | 25.1% | -9.8% |
| 2018 | 22.4% | -10.8% |
| 2019 | 19.7% | -12.0% |
| 2020 | 17.0% | -13.7% |
| 2021 | 14.3% | -15.8% |
| 2022 | 11.7% | -18.6% |
| 2023 | 9.0% | -22.5% |
| 2024 | 6.7% | -25.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 60.1% | 47.2% | 73.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 32.0% | 19.7% | 44.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.8% | 6.7% | 17.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near India
- 39 Marshall Islands 6.8% compare
- 40 Tanzania, United Republic of 6.8% compare
- 41 Myanmar 6.7% compare
- 43 Saint Lucia 6.2% compare
- 44 Senegal 6.1% compare
- 45 Kenya 5.9% compare
More health data for India
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.12 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.4372 % change on previous year (2090)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates 1,332 (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 44,822 (2100)
- Population ages 0-14, female, annual growth rate -0.7713 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per capita 0.116 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, annual growth rate -0.9514 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, per capita 0.1259 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is people practicing open defecation in India?
- People practicing open defecation in India was 6.7% 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 India?
- The highest recorded value was 73.2% in 2000.
- What is the lowest people practicing open defecation recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.7% in 2024.
- How does India rank for people practicing open defecation?
- India ranks 42nd out of 214 countries with data for 2024.
- Is people practicing open defecation rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is down 79.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this India 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
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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.