People practicing open defecation, urban in OECD members

OECD members: People practicing open defecation, urban was 0.0% in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
0.0%
Change on year
down 11.2%
Rank
37th
of 47 groups
All-time high
0.5%
in 2000
All-time low
0.0%
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

People practicing open defecation, urban in OECD members, 2000–2024

00.10.20.30.40.52000201220242000: 0.454 % of urban population2001: 0.438 % of urban population2002: 0.422 % of urban population2003: 0.405 % of urban population2004: 0.388 % of urban population2005: 0.369 % of urban population2006: 0.35 % of urban population2007: 0.332 % of urban population2008: 0.313 % of urban population2009: 0.294 % of urban population2010: 0.274 % of urban population2011: 0.256 % of urban population2012: 0.236 % of urban population2013: 0.216 % of urban population2014: 0.196 % of urban population2015: 0.175 % of urban population2016: 0.155 % of urban population2017: 0.135 % of urban population2018: 0.115 % of urban population2019: 0.094 % of urban population2020: 0.074 % of urban population2021: 0.049 % of urban population2022: 0.03 % of urban population2023: 0.023 % of urban population2024: 0.02 % of urban population

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 OECD members is 0.0%, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

The figure is down 11.2% on the previous year and down 89.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, people practicing open defecation, urban in OECD members peaked at 0.5% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 2024.

OECD members ranks 37th of 47 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

People practicing open defecation, urban in OECD members, year by year

Annual values for People practicing open defecation, urban (% of urban population) in OECD members, 2000 to 2024.
Year % of urban population Change
2000 0.5%
2001 0.4% -3.4%
2002 0.4% -3.7%
2003 0.4% -4.0%
2004 0.4% -4.3%
2005 0.4% -4.7%
2006 0.4% -5.1%
2007 0.3% -5.4%
2008 0.3% -5.7%
2009 0.3% -6.1%
2010 0.3% -6.5%
2011 0.3% -6.9%
2012 0.2% -7.7%
2013 0.2% -8.5%
2014 0.2% -9.4%
2015 0.2% -10.5%
2016 0.2% -11.6%
2017 0.1% -12.9%
2018 0.1% -14.9%
2019 0.1% -17.7%
2020 0.1% -21.9%
2021 0.0% -33.5%
2022 0.0% -39.3%
2023 0.0% -22.8%
2024 0.0% -11.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 0.4% 0.3% 0.5% 10
2010s 0.2% 0.1% 0.3% 10
2020s 0.0% 0.0% 0.1% 5

Countries ranked near OECD members

  1. 34 Uganda 1.8% compare
  2. 35 Somalia 1.8% compare
  3. 36 Tuvalu 1.7% compare
  4. 37 Congo 1.5% compare
  5. 38 Eswatini 1.4% compare
  6. 39 Botswana 1.4% compare
  7. 40 Mali 1.3% compare

See the full ranking of 229 places →

More health data for OECD members

All data for OECD members →

Frequently asked questions

What is people practicing open defecation, urban in OECD members?
People practicing open defecation, urban in OECD members was 0.0% 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 OECD members?
The highest recorded value was 0.5% in 2000.
What is the lowest people practicing open defecation, urban recorded in OECD members?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 2024.
How does OECD members rank for people practicing open defecation, urban?
OECD members ranks 37th out of 47 groups with data for 2024.
Is people practicing open defecation, urban rising or falling in OECD members?
Over the last ten years it is down 89.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this OECD members 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.

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People practicing open defecation, urban in OECD members. Statizoid, drawing on WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene, World Health Organization (WHO). Retrieved 04 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/people-practicing-open-defecation-urban-percent-of-urban-population/oecd-members/

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About this data

Indicator
People practicing open defecation, urban (% of urban population)
Unit
% of urban population
Source
WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene, World Health Organization (WHO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
229 places, 5,626 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed

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.