People practicing open defecation, rural in Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea: People practicing open defecation, rural was 17.3% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
17.3%
Change on year
up 0.7%
World rank
33rd
of 171 countries
All-time high
17.3%
in 2024
All-time low
14.9%
in 2000
Years of data
25
2000–2024

People practicing open defecation, rural in Papua New Guinea, 2000–2024

0510152000201220242000: 14.9 % of rural population2001: 14.9 % of rural population2002: 14.9 % of rural population2003: 14.9 % of rural population2004: 14.9 % of rural population2005: 15 % of rural population2006: 15.1 % of rural population2007: 15.2 % of rural population2008: 15.3 % of rural population2009: 15.5 % of rural population2010: 15.6 % of rural population2011: 15.7 % of rural population2012: 15.8 % of rural population2013: 16 % of rural population2014: 16.1 % of rural population2015: 16.2 % of rural population2016: 16.3 % of rural population2017: 16.4 % of rural population2018: 16.6 % of rural population2019: 16.7 % of rural population2020: 16.8 % of rural population2021: 16.9 % of rural population2022: 17.1 % of rural population2023: 17.2 % of rural population2024: 17.3 % 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

In 2024, people practicing open defecation, rural in Papua New Guinea stood at 17.3%. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.

That represents a change of up 0.7% on the previous year and up 7.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, people practicing open defecation, rural in Papua New Guinea peaked at 17.3% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 14.9%, in 2000.

That places Papua New Guinea 33rd out of 171 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.

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

People practicing open defecation, rural in Papua New Guinea, year by year

Annual values for People practicing open defecation, rural (% of rural population) in Papua New Guinea, 2000 to 2024.
Year % of rural population Change
2000 14.9%
2001 14.9% +0.0%
2002 14.9% +0.0%
2003 14.9% +0.0%
2004 14.9% +0.0%
2005 15.0% +0.8%
2006 15.1% +0.8%
2007 15.2% +0.8%
2008 15.3% +0.8%
2009 15.5% +0.8%
2010 15.6% +0.8%
2011 15.7% +0.8%
2012 15.8% +0.8%
2013 16.0% +0.8%
2014 16.1% +0.8%
2015 16.2% +0.8%
2016 16.3% +0.8%
2017 16.4% +0.7%
2018 16.6% +0.7%
2019 16.7% +0.7%
2020 16.8% +0.7%
2021 16.9% +0.7%
2022 17.1% +0.7%
2023 17.2% +0.7%
2024 17.3% +0.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 15.0% 14.9% 15.5% 10
2010s 16.1% 15.6% 16.7% 10
2020s 17.1% 16.8% 17.3% 5

Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea

  1. 30 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 18.8% compare
  2. 31 Zimbabwe 18.8% compare
  3. 32 Marshall Islands 18.7% compare
  4. 34 Botswana 16.7% compare
  5. 35 Afghanistan 15.4% compare
  6. 36 Lao People's Democratic Republic 14.3% compare

See the full ranking of 218 places →

More health data for Papua New Guinea

All data for Papua New Guinea →

Frequently asked questions

What is people practicing open defecation, rural in Papua New Guinea?
People practicing open defecation, rural in Papua New Guinea was 17.3% 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 Papua New Guinea?
The highest recorded value was 17.3% in 2024.
What is the lowest people practicing open defecation, rural recorded in Papua New Guinea?
The lowest recorded value was 14.9% in 2000.
How does Papua New Guinea rank for people practicing open defecation, rural?
Papua New Guinea ranks 33rd out of 171 countries with data for 2024.
Is people practicing open defecation, rural rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
Over the last ten years it is up 7.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Papua New Guinea 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 Papua New Guinea. Statizoid, drawing on WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene, World Health Organization (WHO). Retrieved 10 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/people-practicing-open-defecation-rural-percent-of-rural-population/papua-new-guinea/

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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.