People practicing open defecation, rural in Congo, Democratic Republic of the

Congo, Democratic Republic of the: People practicing open defecation, rural was 18.8% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
18.8%
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
30th
of 171 countries
All-time high
18.8%
in 2020
All-time low
14.7%
in 2000
Years of data
25
2000–2024

People practicing open defecation, rural in Congo, Democratic Republic of the, 2000–2024

051015202000201220242000: 14.7 % of rural population2001: 14.9 % of rural population2002: 15.1 % of rural population2003: 15.3 % of rural population2004: 15.5 % of rural population2005: 15.8 % of rural population2006: 16 % of rural population2007: 16.2 % of rural population2008: 16.4 % of rural population2009: 16.6 % of rural population2010: 16.8 % of rural population2011: 17 % of rural population2012: 17.2 % of rural population2013: 17.4 % of rural population2014: 17.6 % of rural population2015: 17.8 % of rural population2016: 18 % of rural population2017: 18.2 % of rural population2018: 18.4 % of rural population2019: 18.6 % of rural population2020: 18.8 % of rural population2021: 18.8 % of rural population2022: 18.8 % of rural population2023: 18.8 % of rural population2024: 18.8 % of rural population

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

Analysis

Congo, Democratic Republic of the recorded 18.8% for people practicing open defecation, rural in 2024. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 7.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, people practicing open defecation, rural in Congo, Democratic Republic of the peaked at 18.8% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 14.7%, in 2000.

That places Congo, Democratic Republic of the 30th out of 171 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.

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

People practicing open defecation, rural in Congo, Democratic Republic of the, year by year

Annual values for People practicing open defecation, rural (% of rural population) in Congo, Democratic Republic of the, 2000 to 2024.
Year % of rural population Change
2000 14.7%
2001 14.9% +1.4%
2002 15.1% +1.4%
2003 15.3% +1.4%
2004 15.5% +1.3%
2005 15.8% +1.3%
2006 16.0% +1.3%
2007 16.2% +1.3%
2008 16.4% +1.3%
2009 16.6% +1.3%
2010 16.8% +1.2%
2011 17.0% +1.2%
2012 17.2% +1.2%
2013 17.4% +1.2%
2014 17.6% +1.2%
2015 17.8% +1.2%
2016 18.0% +1.2%
2017 18.2% +1.1%
2018 18.4% +1.1%
2019 18.6% +1.1%
2020 18.8% +1.1%
2021 18.8% +0.0%
2022 18.8% +0.0%
2023 18.8% +0.0%
2024 18.8% +0.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 15.6% 14.7% 16.6% 10
2010s 17.7% 16.8% 18.6% 10
2020s 18.8% 18.8% 18.8% 5

Countries ranked near Congo, Democratic Republic of the

  1. 27 Congo 23.0% compare
  2. 28 Ethiopia 20.4% compare
  3. 29 Lesotho 19.7% compare
  4. 31 Zimbabwe 18.8% compare
  5. 32 Marshall Islands 18.7% compare
  6. 33 Papua New Guinea 17.3% compare

See the full ranking of 218 places →

More health data for Congo, Democratic Republic of the

All data for Congo, Democratic Republic of the →

Frequently asked questions

What is people practicing open defecation, rural in Congo, Democratic Republic of the?
People practicing open defecation, rural in Congo, Democratic Republic of the was 18.8% 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, rural recorded in Congo, Democratic Republic of the?
The highest recorded value was 18.8% in 2020.
What is the lowest people practicing open defecation, rural recorded in Congo, Democratic Republic of the?
The lowest recorded value was 14.7% in 2000.
How does Congo, Democratic Republic of the rank for people practicing open defecation, rural?
Congo, Democratic Republic of the ranks 30th out of 171 countries with data for 2024.
Is people practicing open defecation, rural rising or falling in Congo, Democratic Republic of the?
Over the last ten years it is up 7.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Congo, Democratic Republic of the 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, rural (% of rural population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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People practicing open defecation, rural in Congo, Democratic Republic of the. Statizoid, drawing on WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene, World Health Organization (WHO). Retrieved 03 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/people-practicing-open-defecation-rural-percent-of-rural-population/congo-dem-rep/

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About this data

Indicator
People practicing open defecation, rural (% of rural population)
Unit
% of rural 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
218 places, 5,299 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.