People practicing open defecation in Tanzania, United Republic of

Tanzania, United Republic of: People practicing open defecation was 6.8% in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
6.8%
Change on year
down 2.9%
World rank
40th
of 214 countries
All-time high
11.6%
in 2000
All-time low
6.8%
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

People practicing open defecation in Tanzania, United Republic of, 2000–2024

02.557.51012.52000201220242000: 11.6 % of population2001: 11.4 % of population2002: 11.2 % of population2003: 11 % of population2004: 10.8 % of population2005: 10.6 % of population2006: 10.4 % of population2007: 10.2 % of population2008: 10 % of population2009: 9.8 % of population2010: 9.6 % of population2011: 9.4 % of population2012: 9.2 % of population2013: 9 % of population2014: 8.8 % of population2015: 8.6 % of population2016: 8.4 % of population2017: 8.2 % of population2018: 8 % of population2019: 7.8 % of population2020: 7.6 % of population2021: 7.4 % of population2022: 7.2 % of population2023: 7 % of population2024: 6.8 % of population

Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene, World Health Organization (WHO). Measured in % of population.

Analysis

Tanzania, United Republic of recorded 6.8% for people practicing open defecation in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.9% on the previous year and down 23.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, people practicing open defecation in Tanzania, United Republic of peaked at 11.6% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 6.8%, in 2024.

That places Tanzania, United Republic of 40th out of 214 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.

People practicing open defecation in Tanzania, United Republic of, year by year

Annual values for People practicing open defecation (% of population) in Tanzania, United Republic of, 2000 to 2024.
Year % of population Change
2000 11.6%
2001 11.4% -1.5%
2002 11.2% -1.5%
2003 11.0% -1.8%
2004 10.8% -1.8%
2005 10.6% -1.9%
2006 10.4% -1.9%
2007 10.2% -2.0%
2008 10.0% -2.0%
2009 9.8% -2.0%
2010 9.6% -2.1%
2011 9.4% -2.1%
2012 9.2% -2.2%
2013 9.0% -2.2%
2014 8.8% -2.3%
2015 8.6% -2.3%
2016 8.4% -2.4%
2017 8.2% -2.4%
2018 8.0% -2.5%
2019 7.8% -2.5%
2020 7.6% -2.6%
2021 7.4% -2.7%
2022 7.2% -2.7%
2023 7.0% -2.8%
2024 6.8% -2.9%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 10.7% 9.8% 11.6% 10
2010s 8.7% 7.8% 9.6% 10
2020s 7.2% 6.8% 7.6% 5

Countries ranked near Tanzania, United Republic of

  1. 37 Guinea-Bissau 7.7% compare
  2. 38 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 7.1% compare
  3. 39 Marshall Islands 6.8% compare
  4. 41 Myanmar 6.7% compare
  5. 42 India 6.7% compare
  6. 43 Saint Lucia 6.2% compare

See the full ranking of 261 places →

More health data for Tanzania, United Republic of

All data for Tanzania, United Republic of →

Frequently asked questions

What is people practicing open defecation in Tanzania, United Republic of?
People practicing open defecation in Tanzania, United Republic of was 6.8% 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 Tanzania, United Republic of?
The highest recorded value was 11.6% in 2000.
What is the lowest people practicing open defecation recorded in Tanzania, United Republic of?
The lowest recorded value was 6.8% in 2024.
How does Tanzania, United Republic of rank for people practicing open defecation?
Tanzania, United Republic of ranks 40th out of 214 countries with data for 2024.
Is people practicing open defecation rising or falling in Tanzania, United Republic of?
Over the last ten years it is down 23.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Tanzania, United Republic of 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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People practicing open defecation in Tanzania, United Republic of. Statizoid, drawing on WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene, World Health Organization (WHO). Retrieved 30 August 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/people-practicing-open-defecation-percent-of-population/tanzania/

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About this data

Indicator
People practicing open defecation (% of population)
Unit
% of population
Source
WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene, World Health Organization (WHO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
261 places, 6,240 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed

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.