People practicing open defecation in Nepal
Nepal: People practicing open defecation was 0.5% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
People practicing open defecation in Nepal, 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 Nepal is 0.5%, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 82.4% on the previous year and down 98.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, people practicing open defecation in Nepal peaked at 68.2% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 0.5%, in 2024.
That places Nepal 89th out of 214 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
People practicing open defecation in Nepal, year by year
| Year | % of population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 68.2% | — |
| 2001 | 65.1% | -4.6% |
| 2002 | 62.1% | -4.6% |
| 2003 | 59.1% | -4.8% |
| 2004 | 56.2% | -5.0% |
| 2005 | 53.2% | -5.2% |
| 2006 | 50.3% | -5.5% |
| 2007 | 47.4% | -5.8% |
| 2008 | 44.5% | -6.1% |
| 2009 | 41.6% | -6.5% |
| 2010 | 38.8% | -6.9% |
| 2011 | 35.9% | -7.3% |
| 2012 | 33.1% | -7.9% |
| 2013 | 30.3% | -8.5% |
| 2014 | 27.5% | -9.3% |
| 2015 | 24.7% | -10.2% |
| 2016 | 21.9% | -11.2% |
| 2017 | 19.2% | -12.6% |
| 2018 | 16.4% | -14.3% |
| 2019 | 13.7% | -16.5% |
| 2020 | 11.0% | -19.7% |
| 2021 | 8.3% | -24.3% |
| 2022 | 5.7% | -31.9% |
| 2023 | 3.0% | -46.4% |
| 2024 | 0.5% | -82.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 54.8% | 41.6% | 68.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 26.1% | 13.7% | 38.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.7% | 0.5% | 11.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Nepal
More health data for Nepal
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.95 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.8518 % change on previous year (2090)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates 1,326 (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 955 (2100)
- Population ages 0-14, female, annual growth rate -1.14 % 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 0.1365 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, annual growth rate -1.72 % 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 0.144 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is people practicing open defecation in Nepal?
- People practicing open defecation in Nepal was 0.5% 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 Nepal?
- The highest recorded value was 68.2% in 2000.
- What is the lowest people practicing open defecation recorded in Nepal?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.5% in 2024.
- How does Nepal rank for people practicing open defecation?
- Nepal ranks 89th out of 214 countries with data for 2024.
- Is people practicing open defecation rising or falling in Nepal?
- Over the last ten years it is down 98.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Nepal 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.