People practicing open defecation in Low & middle income
Low & middle income: People practicing open defecation was 5.3% in 2024. ▼ Falling
People practicing open defecation in Low & middle income, 2000–2024
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene, World Health Organization (WHO). Measured in % of population.
Analysis
Low & middle income recorded 5.3% for people practicing open defecation in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
The figure is down 12.0% on the previous year and down 61.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, people practicing open defecation in Low & middle income peaked at 26.7% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 5.3%, in 2024.
That places Low & middle income 17th out of 45 groups with data for 2024, putting it 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 Low & middle income, year by year
| Year | % of population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 26.7% | — |
| 2001 | 25.9% | -3.1% |
| 2002 | 24.9% | -3.9% |
| 2003 | 24.0% | -3.6% |
| 2004 | 23.1% | -3.8% |
| 2005 | 22.1% | -4.0% |
| 2006 | 21.1% | -4.9% |
| 2007 | 20.1% | -4.4% |
| 2008 | 19.2% | -4.7% |
| 2009 | 18.3% | -4.8% |
| 2010 | 17.3% | -5.0% |
| 2011 | 16.5% | -4.7% |
| 2012 | 15.6% | -5.6% |
| 2013 | 14.7% | -5.9% |
| 2014 | 13.8% | -6.2% |
| 2015 | 12.9% | -6.0% |
| 2016 | 12.0% | -7.0% |
| 2017 | 11.3% | -5.8% |
| 2018 | 10.4% | -8.0% |
| 2019 | 9.5% | -8.6% |
| 2020 | 8.6% | -9.4% |
| 2021 | 7.8% | -10.1% |
| 2022 | 6.9% | -10.7% |
| 2023 | 6.0% | -13.4% |
| 2024 | 5.3% | -12.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 22.5% | 18.3% | 26.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 13.4% | 9.5% | 17.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.9% | 5.3% | 8.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Low & middle income
More health data for Low & middle income
- Population ages 75-79, male, per capita 0.0065 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per capita 0.1277 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 75-79, female, per capita 0.0083 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, annual growth rate -0.2398 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 75-79, male, annual growth rate 6.55 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 75-79, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 80 and above, female, per capita 0.0084 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 80 and above, male, annual growth rate 3.64 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 80 and above, female, annual growth rate 3.38 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is people practicing open defecation in Low & middle income?
- People practicing open defecation in Low & middle income was 5.3% 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 Low & middle income?
- The highest recorded value was 26.7% in 2000.
- What is the lowest people practicing open defecation recorded in Low & middle income?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.3% in 2024.
- How does Low & middle income rank for people practicing open defecation?
- Low & middle income ranks 17th out of 45 groups with data for 2024.
- Is people practicing open defecation rising or falling in Low & middle income?
- Over the last ten years it is down 61.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Low & middle 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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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.