People practicing open defecation in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: People practicing open defecation was 15.5% in 2024. ▼ Falling
People practicing open defecation in Sub-Saharan Africa, 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 Sub-Saharan Africa stood at 15.5%. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
The figure is down 3.9% on the previous year and down 32.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, people practicing open defecation in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 31.9% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 15.5%, in 2024.
Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 7th of 45 groups 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 Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | % of population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 31.9% | — |
| 2001 | 31.3% | -1.9% |
| 2002 | 30.7% | -2.1% |
| 2003 | 30.0% | -2.1% |
| 2004 | 29.4% | -2.1% |
| 2005 | 28.7% | -2.4% |
| 2006 | 28.0% | -2.5% |
| 2007 | 27.3% | -2.4% |
| 2008 | 26.5% | -2.7% |
| 2009 | 25.8% | -2.7% |
| 2010 | 25.1% | -2.8% |
| 2011 | 24.9% | -0.8% |
| 2012 | 24.2% | -2.8% |
| 2013 | 23.5% | -2.9% |
| 2014 | 22.8% | -3.1% |
| 2015 | 22.0% | -3.2% |
| 2016 | 21.3% | -3.3% |
| 2017 | 20.4% | -4.1% |
| 2018 | 19.8% | -3.4% |
| 2019 | 19.1% | -3.5% |
| 2020 | 18.4% | -3.6% |
| 2021 | 17.7% | -3.8% |
| 2022 | 17.0% | -3.7% |
| 2023 | 16.1% | -5.4% |
| 2024 | 15.5% | -3.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 29.0% | 25.8% | 31.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 22.3% | 19.1% | 25.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 16.9% | 15.5% | 18.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
More health data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Population ages 0-14, total, per capita 0.4038 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, total, annual growth rate 3 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, male, per capita 0.2801 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, male, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, male, annual growth rate 3.04 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, female, per capita 0.2837 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, female, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, female, annual growth rate 2.96 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, annual growth rate 1.63 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is people practicing open defecation in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- People practicing open defecation in Sub-Saharan Africa was 15.5% 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 Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 31.9% in 2000.
- What is the lowest people practicing open defecation recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.5% in 2024.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for people practicing open defecation?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 7th out of 45 groups with data for 2024.
- Is people practicing open defecation rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 32.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa 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.