People practicing open defecation, rural in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)
Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income): People practicing open defecation, rural was 3.3% in 2024. ▼ Falling
People practicing open defecation, rural in Latin America & Caribbean (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
In 2024, people practicing open defecation, rural in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) stood at 3.3%. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
The figure is down 34.4% on the previous year and down 75.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, people practicing open defecation, rural in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) peaked at 29.5% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 3.3%, in 2024.
That places Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) 30th out of 47 groups 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 Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | % of rural population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 29.5% | — |
| 2001 | 28.4% | -3.8% |
| 2002 | 27.3% | -3.9% |
| 2003 | 26.2% | -4.1% |
| 2004 | 25.1% | -4.3% |
| 2005 | 23.9% | -4.5% |
| 2006 | 22.3% | -6.8% |
| 2007 | 21.2% | -4.9% |
| 2008 | 20.1% | -5.1% |
| 2009 | 19.0% | -5.4% |
| 2010 | 17.9% | -5.8% |
| 2011 | 16.8% | -6.2% |
| 2012 | 15.7% | -6.5% |
| 2013 | 14.7% | -6.9% |
| 2014 | 13.6% | -7.4% |
| 2015 | 12.7% | -6.7% |
| 2016 | 11.6% | -8.6% |
| 2017 | 10.5% | -9.4% |
| 2018 | 9.4% | -10.2% |
| 2019 | 8.4% | -11.2% |
| 2020 | 7.4% | -12.1% |
| 2021 | 6.4% | -13.7% |
| 2022 | 5.4% | -15.1% |
| 2023 | 5.0% | -6.8% |
| 2024 | 3.3% | -34.4% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where People practicing open defecation, rural in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | -34.4% | 5.0% | 3.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 24.3% | 19.0% | 29.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 13.1% | 8.4% | 17.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.5% | 3.3% | 7.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)
- 27 Congo 23.0% compare
- 28 Ethiopia 20.4% compare
- 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
More health data for Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)
- Population ages 35-39, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, male, annual growth rate 1.43 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, female, per capita 0.0359 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 1.15 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, male, per capita 0.0369 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 0.8651 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, female, per capita 0.0376 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 30-34, female, annual growth rate 0.3093 % change on previous year (2025)
All data for Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is people practicing open defecation, rural in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)?
- People practicing open defecation, rural in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) was 3.3% 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 Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 29.5% in 2000.
- What is the lowest people practicing open defecation, rural recorded in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.3% in 2024.
- How does Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) rank for people practicing open defecation, rural?
- Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) ranks 30th out of 47 groups with data for 2024.
- Is people practicing open defecation, rural rising or falling in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 75.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Latin America & Caribbean (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.
Download this data
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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.