People practicing open defecation (% of population) in Nepal
Nepal: People practicing open defecation (% of population) 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 (% of population) 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% |
Nepal compared with similar countries
- Nepal's 0.5% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 6.7%, 8% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where People practicing open defecation (% of population) in Nepal changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | -82.4% | 3.0% | 0.5% |
| 2023 | -46.4% | 5.7% | 3.0% |
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)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 955 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 3 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -1.17 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0451 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -2.11 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0467 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.