People practicing open defecation, urban in Lesotho
Lesotho: People practicing open defecation, urban was 3.7% in 2024. ▼ Falling
People practicing open defecation, urban in Lesotho, 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 Lesotho is 3.7%, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
The figure is down 5.4% on the previous year and down 36.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, people practicing open defecation, urban in Lesotho peaked at 8.8% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 3.7%, in 2024.
That places Lesotho 23rd out of 182 countries 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 Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % of urban population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 8.8% | — |
| 2001 | 8.6% | -2.4% |
| 2002 | 8.3% | -2.5% |
| 2003 | 8.1% | -2.5% |
| 2004 | 7.9% | -2.6% |
| 2005 | 7.7% | -2.7% |
| 2006 | 7.5% | -2.7% |
| 2007 | 7.3% | -2.8% |
| 2008 | 7.1% | -2.9% |
| 2009 | 6.9% | -3.0% |
| 2010 | 6.7% | -3.1% |
| 2011 | 6.4% | -3.2% |
| 2012 | 6.2% | -3.3% |
| 2013 | 6.0% | -3.4% |
| 2014 | 5.8% | -3.5% |
| 2015 | 5.6% | -3.6% |
| 2016 | 5.4% | -3.8% |
| 2017 | 5.2% | -3.9% |
| 2018 | 5.0% | -4.1% |
| 2019 | 4.8% | -4.2% |
| 2020 | 4.6% | -4.4% |
| 2021 | 4.3% | -4.6% |
| 2022 | 4.1% | -4.8% |
| 2023 | 3.9% | -5.1% |
| 2024 | 3.7% | -5.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 7.8% | 6.9% | 8.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.7% | 4.8% | 6.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.1% | 3.7% | 4.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 20 Mozambique 4.5% compare
- 21 Côte d'Ivoire 4.3% compare
- 22 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 3.9% compare
- 24 Marshall Islands 3.7% compare
- 25 Sierra Leone 3.7% compare
- 26 Sudan 3.0% compare
More health data for Lesotho
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.05 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.4669 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,227 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 382 deaths (2100)
- Population ages 75-79, female, annual growth rate 4.41 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 75-79, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 75-79, female, per capita 0.0045 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 75-79, male, annual growth rate 2.23 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 75-79, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 75-79, male, per capita 0.0021 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is people practicing open defecation, urban in Lesotho?
- People practicing open defecation, urban in Lesotho was 3.7% 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 Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 8.8% in 2000.
- What is the lowest people practicing open defecation, urban recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.7% in 2024.
- How does Lesotho rank for people practicing open defecation, urban?
- Lesotho ranks 23rd out of 182 countries with data for 2024.
- Is people practicing open defecation, urban rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 36.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Lesotho 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.