People practicing open defecation, rural (% of rural population) in Liberia
Liberia: People practicing open defecation, rural (% of rural population) was 57.5% in 2024. ▼ Falling
People practicing open defecation, rural in Liberia, 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
Liberia recorded 57.5% for people practicing open defecation, rural in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.2% on the previous year and down 11.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, people practicing open defecation, rural in Liberia peaked at 74.7% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 57.5%, in 2024.
That places Liberia 9th out of 171 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
People practicing open defecation, rural (% of rural population) in Liberia, year by year
| Year | % of rural population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 74.7% | — |
| 2001 | 74.0% | -1.0% |
| 2002 | 73.3% | -1.0% |
| 2003 | 72.6% | -1.0% |
| 2004 | 71.9% | -1.0% |
| 2005 | 71.1% | -1.0% |
| 2006 | 70.4% | -1.0% |
| 2007 | 69.7% | -1.0% |
| 2008 | 69.0% | -1.0% |
| 2009 | 68.3% | -1.0% |
| 2010 | 67.6% | -1.1% |
| 2011 | 66.8% | -1.1% |
| 2012 | 66.1% | -1.1% |
| 2013 | 65.4% | -1.1% |
| 2014 | 64.7% | -1.1% |
| 2015 | 64.0% | -1.1% |
| 2016 | 63.3% | -1.1% |
| 2017 | 62.5% | -1.1% |
| 2018 | 61.8% | -1.1% |
| 2019 | 61.1% | -1.2% |
| 2020 | 60.4% | -1.2% |
| 2021 | 59.7% | -1.2% |
| 2022 | 59.0% | -1.2% |
| 2023 | 58.2% | -1.2% |
| 2024 | 57.5% | -1.2% |
Liberia compared with similar countries
- Liberia's 57.5% is above the median for low income countries, which is 20.4%, 2.8× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Liberia's 57.5% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 19.7%, 2.9× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 71.5% | 68.3% | 74.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 64.3% | 61.1% | 67.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 59.0% | 57.5% | 60.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Liberia
More health data for Liberia
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.57 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.7528 % change on previous year (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 3,457 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 7 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.13 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.068 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.13 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0699 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is people practicing open defecation, rural in Liberia?
- People practicing open defecation, rural in Liberia was 57.5% 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 Liberia?
- The highest recorded value was 74.7% in 2000.
- What is the lowest people practicing open defecation, rural recorded in Liberia?
- The lowest recorded value was 57.5% in 2024.
- How does Liberia rank for people practicing open defecation, rural?
- Liberia ranks 9th out of 171 countries with data for 2024.
- Is people practicing open defecation, rural rising or falling in Liberia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Liberia 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.