People practicing open defecation, rural in Guatemala

Guatemala: People practicing open defecation, rural was 1.4% in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
1.4%
Change on year
down 36.6%
World rank
75th
of 171 countries
All-time high
20.8%
in 2000
All-time low
1.4%
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

People practicing open defecation, rural in Guatemala, 2000–2024

051015202000201220242000: 20.8 % of rural population2001: 20 % of rural population2002: 19.2 % of rural population2003: 18.4 % of rural population2004: 17.6 % of rural population2005: 16.8 % of rural population2006: 16 % of rural population2007: 15.2 % of rural population2008: 14.3 % of rural population2009: 13.5 % of rural population2010: 12.7 % of rural population2011: 11.9 % of rural population2012: 11.1 % of rural population2013: 10.3 % of rural population2014: 9.5 % of rural population2015: 8.7 % of rural population2016: 7.9 % of rural population2017: 7.1 % of rural population2018: 6.3 % of rural population2019: 5.4 % of rural population2020: 4.6 % of rural population2021: 3.8 % of rural population2022: 3 % of rural population2023: 2.2 % of rural population2024: 1.4 % 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 Guatemala stood at 1.4%. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 36.6% on the previous year and down 85.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, people practicing open defecation, rural in Guatemala peaked at 20.8% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 1.4%, in 2024.

Guatemala ranks 75th of 171 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

People practicing open defecation, rural in Guatemala, year by year

Annual values for People practicing open defecation, rural (% of rural population) in Guatemala, 2000 to 2024.
Year % of rural population Change
2000 20.8%
2001 20.0% -3.9%
2002 19.2% -4.0%
2003 18.4% -4.2%
2004 17.6% -4.4%
2005 16.8% -4.6%
2006 16.0% -4.8%
2007 15.2% -5.1%
2008 14.3% -5.3%
2009 13.5% -5.6%
2010 12.7% -6.0%
2011 11.9% -6.4%
2012 11.1% -6.8%
2013 10.3% -7.3%
2014 9.5% -7.9%
2015 8.7% -8.5%
2016 7.9% -9.3%
2017 7.1% -10.3%
2018 6.3% -11.5%
2019 5.4% -12.9%
2020 4.6% -14.9%
2021 3.8% -17.4%
2022 3.0% -21.1%
2023 2.2% -26.8%
2024 1.4% -36.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 17.2% 13.5% 20.8% 10
2010s 9.1% 5.4% 12.7% 10
2020s 3.0% 1.4% 4.6% 5

Countries ranked near Guatemala

  1. 72 Tuvalu 2.2% compare
  2. 73 Comoros 2.1% compare
  3. 74 Iran, Islamic Republic of 1.4% compare
  4. 76 Syrian Arab Republic 1.4% compare
  5. 77 Rwanda 1.3% compare
  6. 78 Malaysia 1.1% compare

See the full ranking of 218 places →

More health data for Guatemala

All data for Guatemala →

Frequently asked questions

What is people practicing open defecation, rural in Guatemala?
People practicing open defecation, rural in Guatemala was 1.4% 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 Guatemala?
The highest recorded value was 20.8% in 2000.
What is the lowest people practicing open defecation, rural recorded in Guatemala?
The lowest recorded value was 1.4% in 2024.
How does Guatemala rank for people practicing open defecation, rural?
Guatemala ranks 75th out of 171 countries with data for 2024.
Is people practicing open defecation, rural rising or falling in Guatemala?
Over the last ten years it is down 85.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Guatemala 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.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

People practicing open defecation, rural in Guatemala. 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/guatemala/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://health.statizoid.com/stat/people-practicing-open-defecation-rural-percent-of-rural-population/guatemala/">People practicing open defecation, rural in Guatemala</a> — Statizoid

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.