People practicing open defecation in Mauritania
Mauritania: People practicing open defecation was 16.2% in 2024. ▼ Falling
People practicing open defecation in Mauritania, 2000–2024
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 Mauritania is 16.2%, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 8.7% on the previous year and down 50.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, people practicing open defecation in Mauritania peaked at 59.1% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 16.2%, in 2024.
Mauritania ranks 22nd of 214 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
People practicing open defecation in Mauritania, year by year
| Year | % of population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 59.1% | — |
| 2001 | 57.3% | -3.1% |
| 2002 | 55.3% | -3.5% |
| 2003 | 53.3% | -3.6% |
| 2004 | 51.3% | -3.7% |
| 2005 | 49.4% | -3.8% |
| 2006 | 47.4% | -3.9% |
| 2007 | 45.5% | -4.0% |
| 2008 | 43.6% | -4.2% |
| 2009 | 41.7% | -4.3% |
| 2010 | 39.9% | -4.5% |
| 2011 | 38.0% | -4.6% |
| 2012 | 36.2% | -4.8% |
| 2013 | 34.4% | -5.0% |
| 2014 | 32.6% | -5.2% |
| 2015 | 30.9% | -5.4% |
| 2016 | 29.1% | -5.6% |
| 2017 | 27.4% | -5.8% |
| 2018 | 25.8% | -6.1% |
| 2019 | 24.1% | -6.4% |
| 2020 | 22.5% | -6.8% |
| 2021 | 20.9% | -7.1% |
| 2022 | 19.3% | -7.6% |
| 2023 | 17.7% | -8.1% |
| 2024 | 16.2% | -8.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 50.4% | 41.7% | 59.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 31.8% | 24.1% | 39.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.3% | 16.2% | 22.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Mauritania
- 19 Cote d'Ivoire 16.7% compare
- 20 Sudan 16.4% compare
- 21 Ethiopia 16.2% compare
- 23 Mozambique 16.0% compare
- 24 Djibouti 15.9% compare
- 25 Papua New Guinea 15.6% compare
More health data for Mauritania
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -0.8878 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 1.19 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 653 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 1,563 deaths (2100)
- Population ages 0-14, female, annual growth rate 2.03 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per capita 0.2093 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, annual growth rate 2.03 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, per capita 0.2146 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is people practicing open defecation in Mauritania?
- People practicing open defecation in Mauritania was 16.2% 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 Mauritania?
- The highest recorded value was 59.1% in 2000.
- What is the lowest people practicing open defecation recorded in Mauritania?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.2% in 2024.
- How does Mauritania rank for people practicing open defecation?
- Mauritania ranks 22nd out of 214 countries with data for 2024.
- Is people practicing open defecation rising or falling in Mauritania?
- Over the last ten years it is down 50.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Mauritania 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.