People practicing open defecation, urban (% of urban population) in Mauritania
Mauritania: People practicing open defecation, urban (% of urban population) was 1.9% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
People practicing open defecation, urban in Mauritania, 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 Mauritania is 1.9%, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 29.8% on the previous year and down 81.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, people practicing open defecation, urban in Mauritania peaked at 20.9% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 1.9%, in 2024.
That places Mauritania 32nd out of 182 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
People practicing open defecation, urban (% of urban population) in Mauritania, year by year
| Year | % of urban population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 20.9% | — |
| 2001 | 20.1% | -3.8% |
| 2002 | 19.3% | -3.9% |
| 2003 | 18.5% | -4.1% |
| 2004 | 17.7% | -4.3% |
| 2005 | 17.0% | -4.5% |
| 2006 | 16.2% | -4.7% |
| 2007 | 15.4% | -4.9% |
| 2008 | 14.6% | -5.2% |
| 2009 | 13.8% | -5.4% |
| 2010 | 13.0% | -5.8% |
| 2011 | 12.2% | -6.1% |
| 2012 | 11.4% | -6.5% |
| 2013 | 10.6% | -7.0% |
| 2014 | 9.8% | -7.5% |
| 2015 | 9.0% | -8.1% |
| 2016 | 8.2% | -8.8% |
| 2017 | 7.4% | -9.7% |
| 2018 | 6.6% | -10.7% |
| 2019 | 5.8% | -12.0% |
| 2020 | 5.0% | -13.6% |
| 2021 | 4.2% | -15.7% |
| 2022 | 3.5% | -18.7% |
| 2023 | 2.7% | -23.0% |
| 2024 | 1.9% | -29.8% |
Mauritania compared with similar countries
- Mauritania's 1.9% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.0%, 1.9× the median. (44 countries reporting)
- Mauritania's 1.9% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.9%, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where People practicing open defecation, urban (% of urban population) in Mauritania 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 | -29.8% | 2.7% | 1.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 17.3% | 13.8% | 20.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.4% | 5.8% | 13.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.5% | 1.9% | 5.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Mauritania
More health data for Mauritania
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -0.8878 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 1.19 % change on previous year (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 1,563 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.77 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.077 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.77 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0789 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is people practicing open defecation, urban in Mauritania?
- People practicing open defecation, urban in Mauritania was 1.9% 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 Mauritania?
- The highest recorded value was 20.9% in 2000.
- What is the lowest people practicing open defecation, urban recorded in Mauritania?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.9% in 2024.
- How does Mauritania rank for people practicing open defecation, urban?
- Mauritania ranks 32nd out of 182 countries with data for 2024.
- Is people practicing open defecation, urban rising or falling in Mauritania?
- Over the last ten years it is down 81.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Mauritania 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.