People practicing open defecation, rural (% of rural population) in Small states
Small states: People practicing open defecation, rural (% of rural population) was 6.5% in 2024. ▼ Falling
People practicing open defecation, rural in Small states, 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
The most recent figure for people practicing open defecation, rural in Small states is 6.5%, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
The figure is down 25.4% on the previous year and down 46.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, people practicing open defecation, rural in Small states peaked at 19.6% in 2002 and was at its lowest, 6.5%, in 2024.
That places Small states 26th 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 Small states, year by year
| Year | % of rural population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 16.8% | — |
| 2001 | 16.5% | -1.7% |
| 2002 | 19.6% | +18.4% |
| 2003 | 19.2% | -2.1% |
| 2004 | 18.6% | -2.7% |
| 2005 | 16.7% | -10.2% |
| 2006 | 15.8% | -5.6% |
| 2007 | 15.3% | -3.0% |
| 2008 | 14.8% | -3.1% |
| 2009 | 14.3% | -3.2% |
| 2010 | 13.9% | -3.1% |
| 2011 | 13.5% | -3.0% |
| 2012 | 13.0% | -3.1% |
| 2013 | 12.6% | -3.3% |
| 2014 | 12.2% | -3.4% |
| 2015 | 11.8% | -3.3% |
| 2016 | 11.4% | -3.5% |
| 2017 | 11.0% | -3.6% |
| 2018 | 10.5% | -4.0% |
| 2019 | 10.1% | -3.9% |
| 2020 | 9.7% | -4.4% |
| 2021 | 9.3% | -4.1% |
| 2022 | 8.9% | -3.9% |
| 2023 | 8.7% | -1.9% |
| 2024 | 6.5% | -25.4% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where People practicing open defecation, rural (% of rural population) in Small states changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | -25.4% | 8.7% | 6.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 16.8% | 14.3% | 19.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.0% | 10.1% | 13.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.6% | 6.5% | 9.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Small states
More health data for Small states
- Population ages 40-44, female, annual growth rate 1.91 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, male, per capita 0.0359 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 10-14, female, annual growth rate 0.1601 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, male, annual growth rate 2.29 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, female, per capita 0.0336 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 10-14, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, female, per capita 0.0365 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, male, annual growth rate 1.16 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is people practicing open defecation, rural in Small states?
- People practicing open defecation, rural in Small states was 6.5% 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 Small states?
- The highest recorded value was 19.6% in 2002.
- What is the lowest people practicing open defecation, rural recorded in Small states?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.5% in 2024.
- How does Small states rank for people practicing open defecation, rural?
- Small states ranks 26th out of 47 groups with data for 2024.
- Is people practicing open defecation, rural rising or falling in Small states?
- Over the last ten years it is down 46.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Small states 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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.