People practicing open defecation, rural (% of rural population) in Lower middle income
Lower middle income: People practicing open defecation, rural (% of rural population) was 11.1% in 2024. ▼ Falling
People practicing open defecation, rural in Lower middle 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
Lower middle income recorded 11.1% 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 16.3% on the previous year and down 67.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, people practicing open defecation, rural in Lower middle income peaked at 65.6% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 11.1%, in 2024.
That places Lower middle income 14th 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 (% of rural population) in Lower middle income, year by year
| Year | % of rural population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 65.6% | — |
| 2001 | 63.4% | -3.3% |
| 2002 | 61.2% | -3.4% |
| 2003 | 59.1% | -3.5% |
| 2004 | 56.8% | -3.9% |
| 2005 | 54.5% | -4.0% |
| 2006 | 52.2% | -4.2% |
| 2007 | 49.9% | -4.4% |
| 2008 | 47.6% | -4.6% |
| 2009 | 45.3% | -4.8% |
| 2010 | 43.0% | -5.1% |
| 2011 | 40.7% | -5.4% |
| 2012 | 38.4% | -5.6% |
| 2013 | 36.1% | -6.0% |
| 2014 | 33.8% | -6.3% |
| 2015 | 31.5% | -6.8% |
| 2016 | 29.2% | -7.2% |
| 2017 | 27.0% | -7.8% |
| 2018 | 24.7% | -8.4% |
| 2019 | 22.5% | -9.1% |
| 2020 | 20.2% | -10.1% |
| 2021 | 18.0% | -10.9% |
| 2022 | 15.8% | -12.2% |
| 2023 | 13.3% | -15.8% |
| 2024 | 11.1% | -16.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 55.6% | 45.3% | 65.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 32.7% | 22.5% | 43.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 15.7% | 11.1% | 20.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Lower middle income
- 11 Togo 50.9% compare
- 12 Kiribati 49.7% compare
- 13 Sao Tome and Principe 43.2% compare
- 14 Burkina Faso 42.3% compare
- 15 Central African Republic 38.8% compare
- 16 Madagascar 36.5% compare
- 17 Mauritania 36.3% compare
More health data for Lower middle income
- Population ages 45-49, female, annual growth rate 2.66 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, male, per capita 0.0271 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 10-14, female, per capita 0.0474 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, male, annual growth rate 2.78 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, female, per capita 0.0263 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 10-14, male, annual growth rate 0.0054 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, female, per capita 0.031 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is people practicing open defecation, rural in Lower middle income?
- People practicing open defecation, rural in Lower middle income was 11.1% 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 Lower middle income?
- The highest recorded value was 65.6% in 2000.
- What is the lowest people practicing open defecation, rural recorded in Lower middle income?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.1% in 2024.
- How does Lower middle income rank for people practicing open defecation, rural?
- Lower middle income ranks 14th out of 47 groups with data for 2024.
- Is people practicing open defecation, rural rising or falling in Lower middle income?
- Over the last ten years it is down 67.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Lower middle 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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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.