People practicing open defecation in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: People practicing open defecation was 15.3% in 2024. ▼ Falling
People practicing open defecation in Sierra Leone, 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 Sierra Leone stood at 15.3%. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
The figure is down 2.6% on the previous year and down 21.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, people practicing open defecation in Sierra Leone peaked at 25.5% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 15.3%, in 2024.
Sierra Leone ranks 26th of 214 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
People practicing open defecation in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | % of population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 25.5% | — |
| 2001 | 25.1% | -1.6% |
| 2002 | 24.7% | -1.6% |
| 2003 | 24.3% | -1.7% |
| 2004 | 23.9% | -1.7% |
| 2005 | 23.5% | -1.8% |
| 2006 | 23.0% | -1.9% |
| 2007 | 22.6% | -1.9% |
| 2008 | 22.1% | -1.9% |
| 2009 | 21.7% | -2.0% |
| 2010 | 21.3% | -2.0% |
| 2011 | 20.8% | -2.0% |
| 2012 | 20.4% | -2.1% |
| 2013 | 20.0% | -2.1% |
| 2014 | 19.5% | -2.1% |
| 2015 | 19.1% | -2.2% |
| 2016 | 18.7% | -2.2% |
| 2017 | 18.3% | -2.3% |
| 2018 | 17.9% | -2.3% |
| 2019 | 17.4% | -2.4% |
| 2020 | 17.0% | -2.4% |
| 2021 | 16.6% | -2.5% |
| 2022 | 16.2% | -2.5% |
| 2023 | 15.8% | -2.6% |
| 2024 | 15.3% | -2.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 23.6% | 21.7% | 25.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 19.3% | 17.4% | 21.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 16.2% | 15.3% | 17.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
More health data for Sierra Leone
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.34 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.773 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,199 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 4,209 deaths (2100)
- Population ages 0-14, female, annual growth rate 0.8723 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per capita 0.1868 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, annual growth rate 0.8951 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, per capita 0.1897 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is people practicing open defecation in Sierra Leone?
- People practicing open defecation in Sierra Leone was 15.3% 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 Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 25.5% in 2000.
- What is the lowest people practicing open defecation recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.3% in 2024.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for people practicing open defecation?
- Sierra Leone ranks 26th out of 214 countries with data for 2024.
- Is people practicing open defecation rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is down 21.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sierra Leone 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.