People practicing open defecation, rural in Low income

Low income: People practicing open defecation, rural was 24.0% in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
24.0%
Change on year
down 2.4%
Rank
3rd
of 47 groups
All-time high
48.9%
in 2000
All-time low
24.0%
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

People practicing open defecation, rural in Low income, 2000–2024

010203040502000201220242000: 48.9 % of rural population2001: 48.1 % of rural population2002: 45.6 % of rural population2003: 44.7 % of rural population2004: 43.8 % of rural population2005: 42.7 % of rural population2006: 41.6 % of rural population2007: 40.5 % of rural population2008: 39.4 % of rural population2009: 38.4 % of rural population2010: 37.3 % of rural population2011: 37.2 % of rural population2012: 36.3 % of rural population2013: 35.5 % of rural population2014: 34.5 % of rural population2015: 33.4 % of rural population2016: 32.3 % of rural population2017: 31.2 % of rural population2018: 30.1 % of rural population2019: 29 % of rural population2020: 27.9 % of rural population2021: 26.7 % of rural population2022: 25.6 % of rural population2023: 24.6 % of rural population2024: 24 % 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

Low income recorded 24.0% for people practicing open defecation, rural in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

That represents a change of down 2.4% on the previous year and down 30.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, people practicing open defecation, rural in Low income peaked at 48.9% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 24.0%, in 2024.

Low income ranks 3rd of 47 groups on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.

People practicing open defecation, rural in Low income, year by year

Annual values for People practicing open defecation, rural (% of rural population) in Low income, 2000 to 2024.
Year % of rural population Change
2000 48.9%
2001 48.1% -1.5%
2002 45.6% -5.2%
2003 44.7% -2.1%
2004 43.8% -2.1%
2005 42.7% -2.4%
2006 41.6% -2.6%
2007 40.5% -2.6%
2008 39.4% -2.7%
2009 38.4% -2.7%
2010 37.3% -2.8%
2011 37.2% -0.2%
2012 36.3% -2.4%
2013 35.5% -2.3%
2014 34.5% -2.8%
2015 33.4% -3.2%
2016 32.3% -3.3%
2017 31.2% -3.4%
2018 30.1% -3.6%
2019 29.0% -3.6%
2020 27.9% -3.8%
2021 26.7% -4.1%
2022 25.6% -4.2%
2023 24.6% -4.2%
2024 24.0% -2.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 43.4% 38.4% 48.9% 10
2010s 33.7% 29.0% 37.3% 10
2020s 25.7% 24.0% 27.9% 5

Countries ranked near Low income

  1. 1 Eritrea 88.7% compare
  2. 2 Niger 78.1% compare
  3. 3 Chad 77.6% compare
  4. 4 South Sudan 75.4% compare
  5. 5 Angola 65.5% compare
  6. 6 Benin 65.1% compare

See the full ranking of 218 places →

More health data for Low income

All data for Low income →

Frequently asked questions

What is people practicing open defecation, rural in Low income?
People practicing open defecation, rural in Low income was 24.0% 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 Low income?
The highest recorded value was 48.9% in 2000.
What is the lowest people practicing open defecation, rural recorded in Low income?
The lowest recorded value was 24.0% in 2024.
How does Low income rank for people practicing open defecation, rural?
Low income ranks 3rd out of 47 groups with data for 2024.
Is people practicing open defecation, rural rising or falling in Low income?
Over the last ten years it is down 30.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Low 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.

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People practicing open defecation, rural in Low income. Statizoid, drawing on WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene, World Health Organization (WHO). Retrieved 04 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/people-practicing-open-defecation-rural-percent-of-rural-population/low-income/

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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.