People practicing open defecation, rural in Least developed countries
Least developed countries: People practicing open defecation, rural was 17.9% in 2024. ▼ Falling
People practicing open defecation, rural in Least developed countries, 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 Least developed countries is 17.9%, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
That represents a change of down 5.1% on the previous year and down 37.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, people practicing open defecation, rural in Least developed countries peaked at 41.9% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 17.9%, in 2024.
That places Least developed countries 9th out of 45 groups 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 in Least developed countries, year by year
| Year | % of rural population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 41.9% | — |
| 2001 | 41.0% | -2.1% |
| 2002 | 40.1% | -2.3% |
| 2003 | 39.0% | -2.5% |
| 2004 | 38.1% | -2.5% |
| 2005 | 37.0% | -2.8% |
| 2006 | 35.9% | -2.8% |
| 2007 | 34.9% | -2.8% |
| 2008 | 33.9% | -3.0% |
| 2009 | 32.9% | -3.0% |
| 2010 | 31.9% | -3.1% |
| 2011 | 31.5% | -1.2% |
| 2012 | 30.5% | -3.2% |
| 2013 | 29.5% | -3.2% |
| 2014 | 28.5% | -3.4% |
| 2015 | 27.5% | -3.6% |
| 2016 | 26.4% | -3.8% |
| 2017 | 25.2% | -4.7% |
| 2018 | 24.2% | -4.1% |
| 2019 | 23.1% | -4.2% |
| 2020 | 22.2% | -4.2% |
| 2021 | 21.3% | -4.0% |
| 2022 | 20.4% | -4.1% |
| 2023 | 18.9% | -7.5% |
| 2024 | 17.9% | -5.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 37.5% | 32.9% | 41.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 27.8% | 23.1% | 31.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.1% | 17.9% | 22.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Least developed countries
More health data for Least developed countries
- Population ages 80 and above, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, annual growth rate 1.63 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per capita 0.1892 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 80 and above, male, per capita 0.0021 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 80 and above, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 80 and above, male, annual growth rate 4.7 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 80 and above, female, per capita 0.0031 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 75-79, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 75-79, female, per capita 0.0038 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is people practicing open defecation, rural in Least developed countries?
- People practicing open defecation, rural in Least developed countries was 17.9% 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 Least developed countries?
- The highest recorded value was 41.9% in 2000.
- What is the lowest people practicing open defecation, rural recorded in Least developed countries?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.9% in 2024.
- How does Least developed countries rank for people practicing open defecation, rural?
- Least developed countries ranks 9th out of 45 groups with data for 2024.
- Is people practicing open defecation, rural rising or falling in Least developed countries?
- Over the last ten years it is down 37.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Least developed countries 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).
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.