People practicing open defecation (% of population) in Middle income
Middle income: People practicing open defecation (% of population) was 3.8% in 2024. ▼ Falling
People practicing open defecation in 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
In 2024, people practicing open defecation in Middle income stood at 3.8%. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 16.5% on the previous year and down 69.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, people practicing open defecation in Middle income peaked at 25.7% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 3.8%, in 2024.
Middle income ranks 25th of 47 groups on this measure, 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 (% of population) in Middle income, year by year
| Year | % of population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 25.7% | — |
| 2001 | 24.8% | -3.3% |
| 2002 | 24.0% | -3.6% |
| 2003 | 23.0% | -3.8% |
| 2004 | 22.1% | -4.1% |
| 2005 | 21.2% | -4.3% |
| 2006 | 20.1% | -5.2% |
| 2007 | 19.1% | -4.7% |
| 2008 | 18.2% | -5.0% |
| 2009 | 17.2% | -5.2% |
| 2010 | 16.3% | -5.4% |
| 2011 | 15.4% | -5.7% |
| 2012 | 14.4% | -6.1% |
| 2013 | 13.5% | -6.5% |
| 2014 | 12.5% | -6.9% |
| 2015 | 11.7% | -6.8% |
| 2016 | 10.8% | -7.9% |
| 2017 | 10.1% | -6.6% |
| 2018 | 9.1% | -9.2% |
| 2019 | 8.2% | -10.0% |
| 2020 | 7.3% | -11.1% |
| 2021 | 6.4% | -12.1% |
| 2022 | 5.6% | -13.2% |
| 2023 | 4.6% | -17.5% |
| 2024 | 3.8% | -16.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 21.5% | 17.2% | 25.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.2% | 8.2% | 16.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.5% | 3.8% | 7.3% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Middle income
- 22 Mauritania 16.2% compare
- 23 Mozambique 16.0% compare
- 24 Djibouti 15.9% compare
- 25 Papua New Guinea 15.6% compare
- 26 Sierra Leone 15.3% compare
- 27 Lesotho 14.8% compare
- 28 Somalia 14.4% compare
More health data for Middle income
- Population ages 30-34, male, annual growth rate -1.09 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, male, per capita 0.0387 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, male, annual growth rate 1.76 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, female, per capita 0.0371 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, female, annual growth rate 1.55 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 30-34, male, per capita 0.0385 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 30-34, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 25-29, male, annual growth rate 0.2144 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is people practicing open defecation in Middle income?
- People practicing open defecation in Middle income was 3.8% 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 Middle income?
- The highest recorded value was 25.7% in 2000.
- What is the lowest people practicing open defecation recorded in Middle income?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.8% in 2024.
- How does Middle income rank for people practicing open defecation?
- Middle income ranks 25th out of 47 groups with data for 2024.
- Is people practicing open defecation rising or falling in Middle income?
- Over the last ten years it is down 69.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this 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.