People practicing open defecation, urban in Least developed countries
Least developed countries: People practicing open defecation, urban was 3.1% in 2024. ▼ Falling
People practicing open defecation, urban in Least developed countries, 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
In 2024, people practicing open defecation, urban in Least developed countries stood at 3.1%. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
The figure is down 8.6% on the previous year and down 50.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, people practicing open defecation, urban in Least developed countries peaked at 9.9% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 3.1%, in 2024.
That places Least developed countries 12th out of 47 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
People practicing open defecation, urban in Least developed countries, year by year
| Year | % of urban population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 9.9% | — |
| 2001 | 9.7% | -2.1% |
| 2002 | 9.5% | -2.1% |
| 2003 | 9.2% | -2.5% |
| 2004 | 9.0% | -2.6% |
| 2005 | 8.7% | -3.1% |
| 2006 | 8.4% | -3.2% |
| 2007 | 8.1% | -3.5% |
| 2008 | 7.9% | -3.4% |
| 2009 | 7.6% | -3.7% |
| 2010 | 7.3% | -3.9% |
| 2011 | 7.2% | -1.1% |
| 2012 | 6.9% | -4.3% |
| 2013 | 6.6% | -4.5% |
| 2014 | 6.3% | -4.8% |
| 2015 | 6.0% | -5.0% |
| 2016 | 5.6% | -5.4% |
| 2017 | 5.2% | -7.4% |
| 2018 | 4.9% | -6.0% |
| 2019 | 4.6% | -5.8% |
| 2020 | 4.3% | -5.9% |
| 2021 | 4.1% | -5.7% |
| 2022 | 3.9% | -5.9% |
| 2023 | 3.4% | -11.3% |
| 2024 | 3.1% | -8.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 8.8% | 7.6% | 9.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.1% | 4.6% | 7.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.8% | 3.1% | 4.3% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Least developed countries
More health data for Least developed countries
- Population ages 75-79, female, per capita 0.0038 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 70-74, female, per capita 0.006 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 70-74, male, annual growth rate 4.18 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 70-74, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 70-74, male, per capita 0.005 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 75-79, female, annual growth rate 3.92 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 75-79, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 80 and above, female, per capita 0.0031 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 80 and above, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 75-79, male, per capita 0.0029 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is people practicing open defecation, urban in Least developed countries?
- People practicing open defecation, urban in Least developed countries was 3.1% 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, urban recorded in Least developed countries?
- The highest recorded value was 9.9% in 2000.
- What is the lowest people practicing open defecation, urban recorded in Least developed countries?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.1% in 2024.
- How does Least developed countries rank for people practicing open defecation, urban?
- Least developed countries ranks 12th out of 47 groups with data for 2024.
- Is people practicing open defecation, urban rising or falling in Least developed countries?
- Over the last ten years it is down 50.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Least developed countries 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.