People practicing open defecation in OECD members
OECD members: People practicing open defecation was 0.1% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
People practicing open defecation in OECD members, 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 OECD members is 0.1%, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
That represents a change of down 7.7% on the previous year and down 80.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, people practicing open defecation in OECD members peaked at 1.0% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 2024.
That places OECD members 37th out of 45 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
People practicing open defecation in OECD members, year by year
| Year | % of population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 1.0% | — |
| 2001 | 1.0% | -4.0% |
| 2002 | 1.0% | -4.3% |
| 2003 | 0.9% | -4.5% |
| 2004 | 0.9% | -4.8% |
| 2005 | 0.8% | -5.0% |
| 2006 | 0.8% | -5.3% |
| 2007 | 0.7% | -5.5% |
| 2008 | 0.7% | -5.9% |
| 2009 | 0.7% | -6.2% |
| 2010 | 0.6% | -6.5% |
| 2011 | 0.6% | -6.8% |
| 2012 | 0.5% | -7.5% |
| 2013 | 0.5% | -8.1% |
| 2014 | 0.4% | -8.8% |
| 2015 | 0.4% | -9.7% |
| 2016 | 0.4% | -10.7% |
| 2017 | 0.3% | -11.6% |
| 2018 | 0.3% | -12.9% |
| 2019 | 0.2% | -14.7% |
| 2020 | 0.2% | -17.2% |
| 2021 | 0.1% | -24.8% |
| 2022 | 0.1% | -26.3% |
| 2023 | 0.1% | -11.1% |
| 2024 | 0.1% | -7.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 0.8% | 0.7% | 1.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.4% | 0.2% | 0.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near OECD members
- 34 Congo 8.4% compare
- 35 Pakistan 8.2% compare
- 36 East Timor 7.9% compare
- 37 Guinea-Bissau 7.7% compare
- 38 Bolivia 7.1% compare
- 39 Marshall Islands 6.8% compare
- 40 Tanzania 6.8% compare
More health data for OECD members
- Population ages 0-14, male, annual growth rate -1.08 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per capita 0.0803 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, annual growth rate -1.07 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population, male, annual growth rate 0.3872 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, female 449.29 million (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, total 230.64 million (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male 17.0% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male 118.07 million (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female 15.9% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is people practicing open defecation in OECD members?
- People practicing open defecation in OECD members was 0.1% 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 OECD members?
- The highest recorded value was 1.0% in 2000.
- What is the lowest people practicing open defecation recorded in OECD members?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 2024.
- How does OECD members rank for people practicing open defecation?
- OECD members ranks 37th out of 45 groups with data for 2024.
- Is people practicing open defecation rising or falling in OECD members?
- Over the last ten years it is down 80.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this OECD members 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.