People practicing open defecation, rural (% of rural population) by country
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.
Countries reporting
133
Highest
88.7%
Eritrea
Lowest
0.0%
South Africa
Median
3.2%
Years covered
25
2000–2024
Data points
5,299
What the numbers show
People practicing open defecation, rural (% of rural population) is currently reported for 133 countries. The highest value is 88.7% in Eritrea; the lowest is 0.0% in South Africa.
The median across all reporting countries is 3.2%, and the mean is 12.6%.
Over the past decade 13 countries rose and 110 fell. The largest increase was in Trinidad and Tobago (up 362.6%), and the largest decrease in Albania (down 100.0%).
People practicing open defecation, rural: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eritrea | 88.7% | 2016 | down 5.0% | falling |
| 2 | Niger | 78.1% | 2024 | down 7.1% | falling |
| 3 | Chad | 77.6% | 2024 | down 3.5% | falling |
| 4 | South Sudan | 75.4% | 2024 | down 2.3% | flat |
| 5 | Angola | 65.5% | 2022 | up 9.9% | rising |
| 6 | Benin | 65.1% | 2024 | down 12.6% | falling |
| 7 | Djibouti | 64.1% | 2023 | down 2.3% | falling |
| 8 | Solomon Islands | 58.9% | 2024 | down 6.8% | falling |
| 9 | Liberia | 57.5% | 2024 | down 11.1% | falling |
| 10 | Namibia | 53.5% | 2024 | down 17.1% | falling |
| 11 | Togo | 50.9% | 2024 | down 22.2% | falling |
| 12 | Kiribati | 49.7% | 2024 | down 8.4% | falling |
| 13 | Sao Tome and Principe | 43.2% | 2024 | down 26.8% | falling |
| 14 | Burkina Faso | 42.3% | 2024 | down 32.0% | falling |
| 15 | Central African Republic | 38.8% | 2024 | up 4.5% | rising |
| 16 | Madagascar | 36.5% | 2024 | down 16.0% | falling |
| 17 | Mauritania | 36.3% | 2024 | down 34.7% | falling |
| 18 | Haiti | 31.5% | 2023 | down 17.0% | falling |
| 19 | Nigeria | 31.2% | 2024 | up 1.2% | flat |
| 20 | Côte d'Ivoire | 31.0% | 2024 | down 29.3% | falling |
| 21 | Ghana | 30.8% | 2024 | up 0.7% | flat |
| 22 | Somalia | 26.4% | 2024 | down 47.4% | falling |
| 23 | Bolivia, Plurinational State of | 24.9% | 2024 | down 39.3% | falling |
| 24 | Sierra Leone | 24.8% | 2024 | down 15.6% | falling |
| 25 | Sudan | 24.1% | 2024 | down 43.8% | falling |
| 26 | Mozambique | 23.5% | 2024 | down 46.6% | falling |
| 27 | Congo | 23.0% | 2021 | up 13.0% | rising |
| 28 | Ethiopia | 20.4% | 2024 | down 55.1% | falling |
| 29 | Lesotho | 19.7% | 2024 | down 42.6% | falling |
| 30 | Congo, Democratic Republic of the | 18.8% | 2024 | up 7.0% | rising |
| 31 | Zimbabwe | 18.8% | 2024 | down 40.8% | falling |
| 32 | Marshall Islands | 18.7% | 2024 | down 30.6% | falling |
| 33 | Papua New Guinea | 17.3% | 2024 | up 7.6% | rising |
| 34 | Botswana | 16.7% | 2024 | down 39.8% | falling |
| 35 | Afghanistan | 15.4% | 2024 | down 28.0% | falling |
| 36 | Lao People's Democratic Republic | 14.3% | 2024 | down 63.1% | falling |
| 37 | Guinea-Bissau | 14.2% | 2024 | down 48.5% | falling |
| 38 | Mongolia | 13.7% | 2024 | down 48.1% | falling |
| 39 | Pakistan | 13.0% | 2024 | down 51.8% | falling |
| 40 | Timor-Leste | 11.7% | 2024 | down 60.5% | falling |
| 41 | Senegal | 11.3% | 2024 | down 50.8% | falling |
| 42 | India | 10.7% | 2024 | down 76.0% | falling |
| 43 | Tanzania, United Republic of | 10.6% | 2024 | down 12.2% | falling |
| 44 | Cape Verde | 10.1% | 2024 | down 71.6% | falling |
| 45 | Colombia | 9.9% | 2024 | down 40.6% | falling |
| 46 | Panama | 9.8% | 2024 | down 26.7% | falling |
| 47 | Cameroon | 9.7% | 2024 | down 16.7% | falling |
| 48 | Myanmar | 9.6% | 2024 | down 11.5% | falling |
| 49 | Kenya | 8.1% | 2024 | down 38.7% | falling |
| 50 | Yemen | 8.0% | 2024 | down 66.7% | falling |
| 51 | Argentina | 7.7% | 2014 | unchanged | flat |
| 52 | Peru | 7.2% | 2024 | down 70.6% | falling |
| 53 | Guinea | 7.2% | 2024 | down 66.5% | falling |
| 54 | Saint Lucia | 7.1% | 2022 | up 1.9% | rising |
| 55 | Cambodia | 7.1% | 2024 | down 84.6% | volatile |
| 56 | Honduras | 7.0% | 2024 | down 58.4% | falling |
| 57 | Mali | 6.1% | 2024 | down 57.4% | falling |
| 58 | Vanuatu | 6.1% | 2024 | up 79.5% | volatile |
| 59 | Dominican Republic | 5.1% | 2024 | down 26.8% | falling |
| 60 | Ecuador | 4.9% | 2024 | down 61.3% | falling |
| 61 | Uganda | 4.2% | 2024 | down 54.2% | falling |
| 62 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 4.0% | 2018 | up 34.3% | rising |
| 63 | Indonesia | 3.8% | 2024 | down 82.1% | volatile |
| 64 | Equatorial Guinea | 3.6% | 2017 | down 54.8% | falling |
| 65 | Philippines | 3.2% | 2024 | down 61.8% | falling |
| 66 | Zambia | 3.2% | 2024 | down 83.8% | volatile |
| 67 | Suriname | 3.2% | 2024 | down 67.2% | volatile |
| 68 | Gabon | 2.6% | 2024 | down 21.6% | falling |
| 69 | El Salvador | 2.4% | 2024 | down 73.2% | falling |
| 70 | Burundi | 2.3% | 2024 | down 5.3% | falling |
| 71 | Malawi | 2.2% | 2024 | down 73.3% | falling |
| 72 | Tuvalu | 2.2% | 2024 | down 68.2% | falling |
| 73 | Comoros | 2.1% | 2024 | up 41.9% | rising |
| 74 | Iran | 1.4% | 2016 | unchanged | flat |
| 75 | Guatemala | 1.4% | 2024 | down 85.2% | volatile |
| 76 | Syria | 1.4% | 2016 | down 45.3% | falling |
| 77 | Rwanda | 1.3% | 2024 | down 45.7% | falling |
| 78 | Malaysia | 1.1% | 2016 | down 50.9% | falling |
| 79 | Paraguay | 0.9% | 2024 | down 14.2% | falling |
| 80 | Türkiye | 0.6% | 2024 | down 29.3% | falling |
| 81 | Saudi Arabia | 0.6% | 2024 | unchanged | flat |
| 82 | Palestine, State of | 0.6% | 2024 | down 41.2% | falling |
| 83 | Tajikistan | 0.6% | 2023 | down 27.0% | falling |
| 84 | Cuba | 0.5% | 2024 | down 74.5% | volatile |
| 85 | Belize | 0.4% | 2024 | down 77.2% | volatile |
| 86 | Jamaica | 0.4% | 2024 | down 51.2% | falling |
| 87 | Croatia | 0.4% | 2021 | unchanged | flat |
| 88 | North Macedonia | 0.3% | 2024 | down 51.8% | falling |
| 89 | Mauritius | 0.3% | 2024 | up 41.7% | rising |
| 90 | Trinidad and Tobago | 0.2% | 2024 | up 362.6% | volatile |
| 91 | Republic of Moldova | 0.2% | 2024 | unchanged | rising |
| 92 | Turks and Caicos Islands | 0.2% | 2024 | unchanged | flat |
| 93 | Montenegro | 0.1% | 2024 | down 28.8% | falling |
| 94 | Costa Rica | 0.1% | 2024 | down 79.7% | falling |
| 95 | Jordan | 0.1% | 2024 | down 79.4% | falling |
| 96 | Uzbekistan | 0.1% | 2024 | unchanged | flat |
| 97 | Samoa | 0.1% | 2024 | down 14.4% | falling |
| 98 | Tonga | 0.1% | 2024 | down 42.8% | falling |
| 99 | Serbia | 0.1% | 2024 | down 9.8% | falling |
| 100 | Azerbaijan | 0.1% | 2024 | down 59.0% | falling |
| 101 | Armenia | 0.0% | 2024 | down 7.0% | falling |
| 102 | Ukraine | 0.0% | 2024 | unchanged | volatile |
| 103 | Albania | 0.0% | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 103 | Antigua and Barbuda | 0.0% | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 103 | Bangladesh | 0.0% | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 103 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 0.0% | 2018 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 103 | Brazil | 0.0% | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 103 | Bhutan | 0.0% | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 103 | Chile | 0.0% | 2024 | down 100.0% | falling |
| 103 | China | 0.0% | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 103 | Algeria | 0.0% | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 103 | Egypt | 0.0% | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 103 | Fiji | 0.0% | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 103 | Georgia | 0.0% | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 103 | Gambia | 0.0% | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 103 | Greece | 0.0% | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 103 | Guyana | 0.0% | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 103 | Iraq | 0.0% | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 103 | Kazakhstan | 0.0% | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 103 | Kyrgyzstan | 0.0% | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 103 | Sri Lanka | 0.0% | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 103 | Morocco | 0.0% | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 103 | Maldives | 0.0% | 2024 | — | volatile |
| 103 | Mexico | 0.0% | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 103 | Nepal | 0.0% | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 103 | Oman | 0.0% | 2024 | — | volatile |
| 103 | Eswatini | 0.0% | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 103 | Thailand | 0.0% | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 103 | Turkmenistan | 0.0% | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 103 | Tunisia | 0.0% | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 103 | Uruguay | 0.0% | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 103 | Viet Nam | 0.0% | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 103 | South Africa | 0.0% | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
Regions and income groups
Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.
- Africa Western and Central 36.0%
- Euro area 0.0%
- European Union 0.0%
- Pacific island small states 24.6%
- Low income 24.0%
- Pre-demographic dividend 23.8%
- Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 23.2%
- Sub-Saharan Africa 23.2%
- Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) 23.2%
- Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) 22.6%
- Least developed countries 17.9%
- IDA only 17.6%
- IDA total 17.4%
- IDA blend 17.2%
- Africa Eastern and Southern 16.4%
- Lower middle income 11.1%
- Low & middle income 9.9%
- IDA & IBRD total 9.7%
- South Asia 9.2%
- South Asia (IDA & IBRD) 9.2%
- World 9.2%
- Early-demographic dividend 9.1%
- Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) 8.3%
- Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) 8.3%
- Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan 8.1%
- Middle income 7.4%
- Arab World 6.9%
- Small states 6.5%
- IBRD only 5.5%
- Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) 3.3%
- Other small states 3.3%
- Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) 3.3%
- Latin America & Caribbean 3.2%
- East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) 1.7%
- East Asia & Pacific (IDA & IBRD countries) 1.7%
- East Asia & Pacific 1.7%
- Upper middle income 0.9%
- Caribbean Small States 0.5%
- OECD members 0.5%
- Late-demographic dividend 0.2%
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.