People practicing open defecation, rural in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)
East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income): People practicing open defecation, rural was 1.7% in 2024. ▼ Falling
People practicing open defecation, rural in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income), 2000–2024
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene, World Health Organization (WHO). Measured in % of rural population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for people practicing open defecation, rural in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) is 1.7%, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
The figure is down 15.9% on the previous year and down 71.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, people practicing open defecation, rural in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) peaked at 11.2% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 1.7%, in 2024.
East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) ranks 32nd of 47 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
People practicing open defecation, rural in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | % of rural population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 11.2% | — |
| 2001 | 11.0% | -1.9% |
| 2002 | 10.6% | -3.9% |
| 2003 | 10.2% | -3.4% |
| 2004 | 9.8% | -3.7% |
| 2005 | 9.5% | -3.9% |
| 2006 | 9.1% | -3.9% |
| 2007 | 8.7% | -3.9% |
| 2008 | 8.3% | -4.5% |
| 2009 | 7.9% | -4.6% |
| 2010 | 7.5% | -5.3% |
| 2011 | 7.2% | -4.2% |
| 2012 | 6.8% | -5.9% |
| 2013 | 6.4% | -6.2% |
| 2014 | 5.9% | -6.9% |
| 2015 | 5.5% | -7.1% |
| 2016 | 5.1% | -7.9% |
| 2017 | 4.7% | -8.2% |
| 2018 | 4.2% | -9.7% |
| 2019 | 3.7% | -11.2% |
| 2020 | 3.3% | -13.0% |
| 2021 | 2.8% | -14.5% |
| 2022 | 2.3% | -16.4% |
| 2023 | 2.0% | -14.7% |
| 2024 | 1.7% | -15.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 9.6% | 7.9% | 11.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.7% | 3.7% | 7.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.4% | 1.7% | 3.3% | 5 |
Countries ranked near East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)
- 29 Lesotho 19.7% compare
- 30 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 18.8% compare
- 31 Zimbabwe 18.8% compare
- 32 Marshall Islands 18.7% compare
- 33 Papua New Guinea 17.3% compare
- 34 Botswana 16.7% compare
- 35 Afghanistan 15.4% compare
More health data for East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)
- Population ages 35-39, female, annual growth rate 2.31 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, female, per capita 0.0353 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, female, annual growth rate 1.78 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, male, per capita 0.0424 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, male, annual growth rate 2.76 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, female, per capita 0.0396 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 25-29, male, per capita 0.0341 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is people practicing open defecation, rural in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)?
- People practicing open defecation, rural in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) was 1.7% 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 East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 11.2% in 2000.
- What is the lowest people practicing open defecation, rural recorded in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.7% in 2024.
- How does East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) rank for people practicing open defecation, rural?
- East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) ranks 32nd out of 47 groups with data for 2024.
- Is people practicing open defecation, rural rising or falling in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 71.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) 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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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.