People practicing open defecation, rural (% of rural population) in Laos
Laos: People practicing open defecation, rural (% of rural population) was 14.3% in 2024. ▼ Falling
People practicing open defecation, rural in Laos, 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
In 2024, people practicing open defecation, rural in Laos stood at 14.3%. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
That represents a change of down 14.7% on the previous year and down 63.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, people practicing open defecation, rural in Laos peaked at 72.8% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 14.3%, in 2024.
That places Laos 36th out of 171 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
People practicing open defecation, rural (% of rural population) in Laos, year by year
| Year | % of rural population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 72.8% | — |
| 2001 | 70.4% | -3.3% |
| 2002 | 68.0% | -3.5% |
| 2003 | 65.5% | -3.6% |
| 2004 | 63.1% | -3.7% |
| 2005 | 60.6% | -3.9% |
| 2006 | 58.2% | -4.0% |
| 2007 | 55.8% | -4.2% |
| 2008 | 53.3% | -4.4% |
| 2009 | 50.9% | -4.6% |
| 2010 | 48.5% | -4.8% |
| 2011 | 46.0% | -5.0% |
| 2012 | 43.6% | -5.3% |
| 2013 | 41.1% | -5.6% |
| 2014 | 38.7% | -5.9% |
| 2015 | 36.3% | -6.3% |
| 2016 | 33.8% | -6.7% |
| 2017 | 31.4% | -7.2% |
| 2018 | 28.9% | -7.8% |
| 2019 | 26.5% | -8.4% |
| 2020 | 24.1% | -9.2% |
| 2021 | 21.6% | -10.1% |
| 2022 | 19.2% | -11.3% |
| 2023 | 16.8% | -12.7% |
| 2024 | 14.3% | -14.7% |
Laos compared with similar countries
- Laos's 14.3% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 11.0%, 1.3× the median. (44 countries reporting)
- Laos's 14.3% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3.2%, 4.4× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 61.9% | 50.9% | 72.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 37.5% | 26.5% | 48.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.2% | 14.3% | 24.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Laos
- 33 Papua New Guinea 17.3% compare
- 34 Botswana 16.7% compare
- 35 Afghanistan 15.4% compare
- 37 Guinea-Bissau 14.2% compare
- 38 Mongolia 13.7% compare
- 39 Pakistan 13.0% compare
More health data for Laos
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.76 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.5667 % change on previous year (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 317 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 15 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.5161 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0489 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -0.5055 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0511 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is people practicing open defecation, rural in Laos?
- People practicing open defecation, rural in Laos was 14.3% 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 Laos?
- The highest recorded value was 72.8% in 2000.
- What is the lowest people practicing open defecation, rural recorded in Laos?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.3% in 2024.
- How does Laos rank for people practicing open defecation, rural?
- Laos ranks 36th out of 171 countries with data for 2024.
- Is people practicing open defecation, rural rising or falling in Laos?
- Over the last ten years it is down 63.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Laos 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.