People practicing open defecation, urban in Africa Eastern and Southern
Africa Eastern and Southern: People practicing open defecation, urban was 2.7% in 2024. ▼ Falling
People practicing open defecation, urban in Africa Eastern and Southern, 2000–2024
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene, World Health Organization (WHO). Measured in % of urban population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for people practicing open defecation, urban in Africa Eastern and Southern is 2.7%, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 8.1% on the previous year and down 52.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, people practicing open defecation, urban in Africa Eastern and Southern peaked at 8.5% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 2.7%, in 2024.
That places Africa Eastern and Southern 13th 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, urban in Africa Eastern and Southern, year by year
| Year | % of urban population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 8.5% | — |
| 2001 | 8.4% | -1.8% |
| 2002 | 8.2% | -1.9% |
| 2003 | 8.0% | -2.5% |
| 2004 | 7.8% | -2.6% |
| 2005 | 7.5% | -3.5% |
| 2006 | 7.3% | -3.6% |
| 2007 | 7.0% | -3.9% |
| 2008 | 6.8% | -3.4% |
| 2009 | 6.5% | -3.6% |
| 2010 | 6.3% | -3.7% |
| 2011 | 6.4% | +1.6% |
| 2012 | 6.1% | -4.0% |
| 2013 | 5.9% | -4.1% |
| 2014 | 5.6% | -4.5% |
| 2015 | 5.3% | -4.8% |
| 2016 | 5.1% | -5.0% |
| 2017 | 4.7% | -8.1% |
| 2018 | 4.4% | -5.6% |
| 2019 | 4.2% | -4.9% |
| 2020 | 4.0% | -5.3% |
| 2021 | 3.7% | -5.9% |
| 2022 | 3.5% | -6.2% |
| 2023 | 2.9% | -16.9% |
| 2024 | 2.7% | -8.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 7.6% | 6.5% | 8.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.4% | 4.2% | 6.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.4% | 2.7% | 4.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Africa Eastern and Southern
More health data for Africa Eastern and Southern
- Population ages 35-39, female, per capita 0.0293 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, male, annual growth rate 3.53 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, female, per capita 0.0242 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, female, annual growth rate 3.56 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, male, per capita 0.0284 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, male, annual growth rate 3.18 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 30-34, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is people practicing open defecation, urban in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- People practicing open defecation, urban in Africa Eastern and Southern was 2.7% 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, urban recorded in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- The highest recorded value was 8.5% in 2000.
- What is the lowest people practicing open defecation, urban recorded in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.7% in 2024.
- How does Africa Eastern and Southern rank for people practicing open defecation, urban?
- Africa Eastern and Southern ranks 13th out of 47 groups with data for 2024.
- Is people practicing open defecation, urban rising or falling in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- Over the last ten years it is down 52.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Africa Eastern and Southern 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, urban (% of urban 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.