People practicing open defecation, rural in El Salvador

El Salvador: People practicing open defecation, rural was 2.4% in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
2.4%
Change on year
down 21.4%
World rank
69th
of 171 countries
All-time high
17.0%
in 2000
All-time low
2.4%
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

People practicing open defecation, rural in El Salvador, 2000–2024

0510152000201220242000: 17 % of rural population2001: 17 % of rural population2002: 17 % of rural population2003: 16.3 % of rural population2004: 15.7 % of rural population2005: 15 % of rural population2006: 14.3 % of rural population2007: 13.7 % of rural population2008: 13 % of rural population2009: 12.4 % of rural population2010: 11.7 % of rural population2011: 11 % of rural population2012: 10.4 % of rural population2013: 9.7 % of rural population2014: 9.1 % of rural population2015: 8.4 % of rural population2016: 7.7 % of rural population2017: 7.1 % of rural population2018: 6.4 % of rural population2019: 5.7 % of rural population2020: 5.1 % of rural population2021: 4.4 % of rural population2022: 3.8 % of rural population2023: 3.1 % of rural population2024: 2.4 % 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

In 2024, people practicing open defecation, rural in El Salvador stood at 2.4%. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

That represents a change of down 21.4% on the previous year and down 73.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, people practicing open defecation, rural in El Salvador peaked at 17.0% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 2.4%, in 2024.

That places El Salvador 69th out of 171 countries with data for 2024, putting it 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 El Salvador, year by year

Annual values for People practicing open defecation, rural (% of rural population) in El Salvador, 2000 to 2024.
Year % of rural population Change
2000 17.0%
2001 17.0% +0.0%
2002 17.0% +0.0%
2003 16.3% -3.9%
2004 15.7% -4.1%
2005 15.0% -4.2%
2006 14.3% -4.4%
2007 13.7% -4.6%
2008 13.0% -4.8%
2009 12.4% -5.1%
2010 11.7% -5.4%
2011 11.0% -5.7%
2012 10.4% -6.0%
2013 9.7% -6.4%
2014 9.1% -6.8%
2015 8.4% -7.3%
2016 7.7% -7.9%
2017 7.1% -8.6%
2018 6.4% -9.4%
2019 5.7% -10.3%
2020 5.1% -11.5%
2021 4.4% -13.0%
2022 3.8% -15.0%
2023 3.1% -17.7%
2024 2.4% -21.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 15.1% 12.4% 17.0% 10
2010s 8.7% 5.7% 11.7% 10
2020s 3.8% 2.4% 5.1% 5

Countries ranked near El Salvador

  1. 66 Zambia 3.2% compare
  2. 67 Suriname 3.2% compare
  3. 68 Gabon 2.6% compare
  4. 70 Burundi 2.3% compare
  5. 71 Malawi 2.2% compare
  6. 72 Tuvalu 2.2% compare

See the full ranking of 218 places →

More health data for El Salvador

All data for El Salvador →

Frequently asked questions

What is people practicing open defecation, rural in El Salvador?
People practicing open defecation, rural in El Salvador was 2.4% 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, rural recorded in El Salvador?
The highest recorded value was 17.0% in 2000.
What is the lowest people practicing open defecation, rural recorded in El Salvador?
The lowest recorded value was 2.4% in 2024.
How does El Salvador rank for people practicing open defecation, rural?
El Salvador ranks 69th out of 171 countries with data for 2024.
Is people practicing open defecation, rural rising or falling in El Salvador?
Over the last ten years it is down 73.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this El Salvador 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 El Salvador. Statizoid, drawing on WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene, World Health Organization (WHO). Retrieved 08 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/people-practicing-open-defecation-rural-percent-of-rural-population/el-salvador/

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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.