People practicing open defecation (% of population) in Sudan
Sudan: People practicing open defecation (% of population) was 16.4% in 2024. ▼ Falling
People practicing open defecation in Sudan, 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 Sudan stood at 16.4%. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
That represents a change of down 8.8% on the previous year and down 49.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, people practicing open defecation in Sudan peaked at 48.0% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 16.4%, in 2024.
That places Sudan 20th out of 214 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
People practicing open defecation (% of population) in Sudan, year by year
| Year | % of population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 48.0% | — |
| 2001 | 48.0% | -0.0% |
| 2002 | 48.0% | -0.0% |
| 2003 | 47.9% | -0.0% |
| 2004 | 47.9% | -0.0% |
| 2005 | 46.4% | -3.2% |
| 2006 | 44.8% | -3.4% |
| 2007 | 43.3% | -3.5% |
| 2008 | 41.7% | -3.6% |
| 2009 | 40.1% | -3.7% |
| 2010 | 38.6% | -3.9% |
| 2011 | 37.0% | -4.1% |
| 2012 | 35.4% | -4.3% |
| 2013 | 33.8% | -4.5% |
| 2014 | 32.3% | -4.7% |
| 2015 | 30.7% | -4.9% |
| 2016 | 29.1% | -5.2% |
| 2017 | 27.5% | -5.5% |
| 2018 | 25.9% | -5.8% |
| 2019 | 24.3% | -6.1% |
| 2020 | 22.7% | -6.5% |
| 2021 | 21.1% | -7.0% |
| 2022 | 19.6% | -7.5% |
| 2023 | 18.0% | -8.1% |
| 2024 | 16.4% | -8.8% |
Sudan compared with similar countries
- Sudan's 16.4% is above the median for low income countries, which is 14.4%, 1.1× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Sudan's 16.4% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 12.1%, 1.3× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 45.6% | 40.1% | 48.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 31.5% | 24.3% | 38.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.6% | 16.4% | 22.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sudan
- 17 Ghana 17.8% compare
- 18 Haiti 17.5% compare
- 19 Cote d'Ivoire 16.7% compare
- 21 Ethiopia 16.2% compare
- 22 Mauritania 16.2% compare
- 23 Mozambique 16.0% compare
More health data for Sudan
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.63 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.6701 % change on previous year (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 14,804 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 22 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.27 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0737 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.15 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.076 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is people practicing open defecation in Sudan?
- People practicing open defecation in Sudan was 16.4% 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 Sudan?
- The highest recorded value was 48.0% in 2000.
- What is the lowest people practicing open defecation recorded in Sudan?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.4% in 2024.
- How does Sudan rank for people practicing open defecation?
- Sudan ranks 20th out of 214 countries with data for 2024.
- Is people practicing open defecation rising or falling in Sudan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 49.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sudan 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.