People practicing open defecation, urban (% of urban population) by country
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.
Countries reporting
129
Highest
32.9%
Eritrea
Lowest
0.0%
Zimbabwe
Median
0.5%
Years covered
25
2000–2024
Data points
5,626
What the numbers show
People practicing open defecation, urban (% of urban population) is currently reported for 129 countries. The highest value is 32.9% in Eritrea; the lowest is 0.0% in Zimbabwe.
The median across all reporting countries is 0.5%, and the mean is 2.7%.
Over the past decade 17 countries rose and 107 fell. The largest increase was in Samoa (up 206.3%), and the largest decrease in Afghanistan (down 100.0%).
People practicing open defecation, urban: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eritrea | 32.9% | 2016 | down 10.6% | falling |
| 2 | Sao Tome and Principe | 30.4% | 2024 | down 32.1% | falling |
| 3 | Benin | 29.4% | 2024 | down 9.6% | falling |
| 4 | Kiribati | 20.0% | 2024 | down 16.0% | falling |
| 5 | Namibia | 19.8% | 2024 | up 8.8% | rising |
| 6 | South Sudan | 16.9% | 2024 | down 49.0% | falling |
| 7 | Chad | 15.4% | 2024 | down 6.1% | falling |
| 8 | Liberia | 13.9% | 2024 | down 30.9% | falling |
| 9 | Madagascar | 13.4% | 2024 | down 18.5% | falling |
| 10 | Togo | 9.4% | 2024 | down 38.5% | falling |
| 11 | Ghana | 9.1% | 2024 | up 7.4% | rising |
| 12 | Haiti | 8.1% | 2023 | down 7.7% | falling |
| 13 | Niger | 7.9% | 2024 | down 43.3% | falling |
| 14 | Solomon Islands | 7.7% | 2024 | up 5.0% | rising |
| 15 | Nigeria | 7.1% | 2024 | down 24.7% | falling |
| 16 | Angola | 7.1% | 2022 | down 26.2% | falling |
| 17 | Central African Republic | 6.8% | 2024 | up 15.4% | rising |
| 18 | Papua New Guinea | 5.3% | 2024 | up 23.5% | rising |
| 19 | Burkina Faso | 4.8% | 2024 | down 30.3% | falling |
| 20 | Mozambique | 4.5% | 2024 | down 64.2% | falling |
| 21 | Cote d'Ivoire | 4.3% | 2024 | down 20.8% | falling |
| 22 | Democratic Republic of Congo | 3.9% | 2024 | up 11.3% | rising |
| 23 | Lesotho | 3.7% | 2024 | down 36.2% | falling |
| 24 | Marshall Islands | 3.7% | 2024 | up 1.0% | flat |
| 25 | Sierra Leone | 3.7% | 2024 | down 27.3% | falling |
| 26 | Sudan | 3.0% | 2024 | down 72.9% | falling |
| 27 | Djibouti | 2.7% | 2023 | down 19.9% | falling |
| 28 | Ethiopia | 2.7% | 2024 | down 74.0% | falling |
| 29 | Equatorial Guinea | 2.5% | 2017 | down 50.2% | falling |
| 30 | Nepal | 2.4% | 2024 | down 74.4% | falling |
| 31 | Saint Lucia | 2.1% | 2022 | down 58.0% | falling |
| 32 | Mauritania | 1.9% | 2024 | down 81.0% | volatile |
| 33 | Vanuatu | 1.9% | 2024 | up 126.7% | volatile |
| 34 | Uganda | 1.8% | 2024 | down 6.1% | falling |
| 35 | Somalia | 1.8% | 2024 | down 68.2% | falling |
| 36 | Tuvalu | 1.7% | 2024 | down 49.9% | falling |
| 37 | Congo | 1.5% | 2021 | down 23.4% | falling |
| 38 | Eswatini | 1.4% | 2024 | down 7.3% | falling |
| 39 | Botswana | 1.4% | 2024 | down 37.0% | falling |
| 40 | Mali | 1.3% | 2024 | down 34.6% | falling |
| 41 | Gabon | 1.2% | 2024 | down 18.8% | falling |
| 42 | Indonesia | 1.2% | 2024 | down 80.9% | volatile |
| 43 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 1.2% | 2018 | down 5.2% | falling |
| 44 | Honduras | 1.1% | 2024 | down 48.9% | falling |
| 45 | Comoros | 1.1% | 2024 | up 24.0% | rising |
| 46 | Dominican Republic | 1.1% | 2024 | down 35.5% | falling |
| 47 | Philippines | 1.0% | 2024 | down 62.3% | falling |
| 48 | Senegal | 1.0% | 2024 | down 50.1% | falling |
| 49 | Cameroon | 0.9% | 2024 | down 7.2% | falling |
| 50 | Malawi | 0.8% | 2024 | down 44.5% | falling |
| 51 | Nauru | 0.8% | 2024 | down 39.2% | falling |
| 52 | Myanmar | 0.8% | 2024 | down 19.9% | falling |
| 53 | El Salvador | 0.8% | 2024 | down 37.3% | falling |
| 54 | Kenya | 0.8% | 2024 | down 53.0% | falling |
| 55 | Jamaica | 0.7% | 2024 | up 3.7% | rising |
| 56 | Belize | 0.7% | 2022 | down 19.8% | falling |
| 57 | Zambia | 0.7% | 2024 | down 61.8% | falling |
| 58 | Guinea | 0.7% | 2024 | down 41.5% | falling |
| 59 | Guatemala | 0.6% | 2024 | down 64.9% | falling |
| 60 | Antigua and Barbuda | 0.6% | 2024 | down 34.1% | falling |
| 61 | Rwanda | 0.5% | 2024 | down 46.4% | falling |
| 62 | Tanzania | 0.5% | 2024 | down 62.5% | falling |
| 63 | Peru | 0.5% | 2024 | down 84.3% | volatile |
| 64 | Pakistan | 0.5% | 2024 | down 74.9% | falling |
| 65 | Samoa | 0.5% | 2024 | up 206.3% | volatile |
| 66 | Colombia | 0.5% | 2024 | down 56.9% | falling |
| 67 | Yemen | 0.4% | 2024 | down 81.2% | falling |
| 68 | South Africa | 0.4% | 2024 | down 69.5% | falling |
| 69 | Tunisia | 0.4% | 2024 | down 6.6% | falling |
| 70 | Cape Verde | 0.3% | 2024 | down 97.7% | volatile |
| 71 | Burundi | 0.3% | 2024 | down 66.7% | falling |
| 72 | Mauritius | 0.2% | 2024 | up 47.5% | rising |
| 73 | Tajikistan | 0.2% | 2023 | down 49.6% | falling |
| 74 | Panama | 0.2% | 2024 | down 76.2% | falling |
| 75 | Suriname | 0.2% | 2024 | up 17.5% | rising |
| 76 | Guinea-Bissau | 0.2% | 2024 | down 87.7% | volatile |
| 77 | Trinidad and Tobago | 0.2% | 2024 | up 147.1% | volatile |
| 78 | Mongolia | 0.1% | 2024 | down 81.1% | volatile |
| 79 | Croatia | 0.1% | 2021 | unchanged | flat |
| 80 | Sint Maarten (Dutch part) | 0.1% | 2017 | down 56.2% | falling |
| 81 | Cuba | 0.1% | 2024 | down 73.5% | volatile |
| 82 | Tonga | 0.1% | 2024 | up 5.1% | rising |
| 83 | Morocco | 0.1% | 2024 | down 88.2% | volatile |
| 84 | Gambia | 0.1% | 2024 | down 82.6% | volatile |
| 85 | Syria | 0.1% | 2024 | unchanged | rising |
| 86 | Costa Rica | 0.1% | 2024 | down 78.2% | falling |
| 87 | Algeria | 0.1% | 2024 | down 82.6% | volatile |
| 88 | Guyana | 0.0% | 2024 | down 80.7% | volatile |
| 89 | Jordan | 0.0% | 2024 | up 9.3% | rising |
| 90 | Serbia | 0.0% | 2024 | down 0.3% | flat |
| 91 | Saudi Arabia | 0.0% | 2024 | unchanged | flat |
| 92 | Iraq | 0.0% | 2024 | down 87.6% | volatile |
| 93 | Georgia | 0.0% | 2024 | up 80.6% | volatile |
| 94 | Turkey | 0.0% | 2024 | down 89.3% | volatile |
| 95 | Afghanistan | 0.0% | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 95 | Albania | 0.0% | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 95 | Argentina | 0.0% | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 95 | Armenia | 0.0% | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 95 | Azerbaijan | 0.0% | 2024 | down 100.0% | falling |
| 95 | Bangladesh | 0.0% | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 95 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 0.0% | 2024 | — | volatile |
| 95 | Bolivia | 0.0% | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 95 | Brazil | 0.0% | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 95 | Bhutan | 0.0% | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 95 | Chile | 0.0% | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 95 | China | 0.0% | 2024 | down 100.0% | falling |
| 95 | Ecuador | 0.0% | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 95 | Egypt | 0.0% | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 95 | Fiji | 0.0% | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 95 | Greece | 0.0% | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 95 | India | 0.0% | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 95 | Iran | 0.0% | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 95 | Kyrgyzstan | 0.0% | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 95 | Cambodia | 0.0% | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 95 | Laos | 0.0% | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 95 | Sri Lanka | 0.0% | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 95 | Maldives | 0.0% | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 95 | Mexico | 0.0% | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 95 | Montenegro | 0.0% | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 95 | Malaysia | 0.0% | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 95 | Oman | 0.0% | 2024 | — | volatile |
| 95 | Paraguay | 0.0% | 2024 | down 100.0% | falling |
| 95 | Palestine | 0.0% | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 95 | Thailand | 0.0% | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 95 | Turkmenistan | 0.0% | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 95 | East Timor | 0.0% | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 95 | Uruguay | 0.0% | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 95 | Vietnam | 0.0% | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 95 | Zimbabwe | 0.0% | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
Regions and income groups
Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.
- Africa Western and Central 6.8%
- Euro area 0.0%
- European Union 0.0%
- Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 4.7%
- Sub-Saharan Africa 4.7%
- Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) 4.7%
- Pre-demographic dividend 4.7%
- Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) 4.1%
- IDA blend 3.7%
- Pacific island small states 3.6%
- Low income 3.6%
- IDA total 3.4%
- IDA only 3.2%
- Least developed countries 3.1%
- Africa Eastern and Southern 2.7%
- Lower middle income 1.6%
- Small states 1.2%
- Other small states 1.0%
- Low & middle income 0.9%
- IDA & IBRD total 0.8%
- World 0.7%
- Middle income 0.7%
- Early-demographic dividend 0.5%
- Arab World 0.3%
- Caribbean Small States 0.3%
- East Asia & Pacific (IDA & IBRD countries) 0.2%
- East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) 0.2%
- East Asia & Pacific 0.2%
- Upper middle income 0.2%
- Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) 0.2%
- Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) 0.2%
- Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan 0.1%
- IBRD only 0.1%
- Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) 0.1%
- Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) 0.1%
- Latin America & Caribbean 0.1%
- South Asia 0.1%
- South Asia (IDA & IBRD) 0.1%
- OECD members 0.0%
- Late-demographic dividend 0.0%
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.