People practicing open defecation, rural in Lower middle income

Lower middle income: People practicing open defecation, rural was 11.1% in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
11.1%
Change on year
down 16.3%
Rank
14th
of 47 groups
All-time high
65.6%
in 2000
All-time low
11.1%
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

People practicing open defecation, rural in Lower middle income, 2000–2024

2040602000201220242000: 65.6 % of rural population2001: 63.4 % of rural population2002: 61.2 % of rural population2003: 59.1 % of rural population2004: 56.8 % of rural population2005: 54.5 % of rural population2006: 52.2 % of rural population2007: 49.9 % of rural population2008: 47.6 % of rural population2009: 45.3 % of rural population2010: 43 % of rural population2011: 40.7 % of rural population2012: 38.4 % of rural population2013: 36.1 % of rural population2014: 33.8 % of rural population2015: 31.5 % of rural population2016: 29.2 % of rural population2017: 27 % of rural population2018: 24.7 % of rural population2019: 22.5 % of rural population2020: 20.2 % of rural population2021: 18 % of rural population2022: 15.8 % of rural population2023: 13.3 % of rural population2024: 11.1 % 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

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 in Lower middle income, year by year

Annual values for People practicing open defecation, rural (% of rural population) in Lower middle income, 2000 to 2024.
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

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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

  1. 11 Togo 50.9% compare
  2. 12 Kiribati 49.7% compare
  3. 13 Sao Tome and Principe 43.2% compare
  4. 14 Burkina Faso 42.3% compare
  5. 15 Central African Republic 38.8% compare
  6. 16 Madagascar 36.5% compare
  7. 17 Mauritania 36.3% compare

See the full ranking of 218 places →

More health data for Lower middle income

All data for Lower middle income →

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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People practicing open defecation, rural in Lower middle income. Statizoid, drawing on WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene, World Health Organization (WHO). Retrieved 05 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/people-practicing-open-defecation-rural-percent-of-rural-population/lower-middle-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.