People using at least basic sanitation services, rural (% of rural) in South Africa

South Africa: People using at least basic sanitation services, rural (% of rural) was 69.3% in 2017. ▼ Falling

Latest (2017)
69.3%
Change on year
down 0.7%
World rank
55th
of 97 countries
All-time high
76.9%
in 2000
All-time low
69.3%
in 2017
Years of data
18
2000–2017

People using at least basic sanitation services, rural (% of rural) in South Africa, 2000–2017

0204060802000200820172000: 76.9 highest2001: 76.9 highest2002: 76.4 highest2003: 75.9 highest2004: 75.5 highest2005: 75 highest2006: 74.5 highest2007: 74 highest2008: 73.6 highest2009: 73.1 highest2010: 72.6 highest2011: 72.1 highest2012: 71.7 highest2013: 71.2 highest2014: 70.7 highest2015: 70.2 highest2016: 69.8 highest2017: 69.3 highest

Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (washdata.org). Measured in highest.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 69.3% for people using at least basic sanitation services, rural (% of rural) in 2017. That is the lowest value across all 18 years on record.

That represents a change of down 0.7% on the previous year and down 6.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, people using at least basic sanitation services, rural (% of rural) in South Africa peaked at 76.9% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 69.3%, in 2017.

That places South Africa 55th out of 97 countries with data for 2017, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 18 years of available data.

People using at least basic sanitation services, rural (% of rural) in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for People using at least basic sanitation services, rural (% of rural population): Q5 (highest) in South Africa, 2000 to 2017.
Year highest Change
2000 76.9%
2001 76.9% +0.0%
2002 76.4% -0.6%
2003 75.9% -0.6%
2004 75.5% -0.6%
2005 75.0% -0.6%
2006 74.5% -0.6%
2007 74.0% -0.6%
2008 73.6% -0.6%
2009 73.1% -0.6%
2010 72.6% -0.6%
2011 72.1% -0.7%
2012 71.7% -0.7%
2013 71.2% -0.7%
2014 70.7% -0.7%
2015 70.2% -0.7%
2016 69.8% -0.7%
2017 69.3% -0.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 75.2% 73.1% 76.9% 10
2010s 71.0% 69.3% 72.6% 8

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 52 Yemen 75.7% compare
  2. 53 Lesotho 74.9% compare
  3. 54 Sao Tome and Principe 69.5% compare
  4. 56 Peru 68.0% compare
  5. 57 Burundi 66.4% compare
  6. 58 Sudan 65.8% compare

See the full ranking of 97 places →

More health data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is people using at least basic sanitation services, rural (% of rural) in South Africa?
People using at least basic sanitation services, rural (% of rural) in South Africa was 69.3% in 2017, according to WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (washdata.org).
What is the highest people using at least basic sanitation services, rural (% of rural) recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 76.9% in 2000.
What is the lowest people using at least basic sanitation services, rural (% of rural) recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 69.3% in 2017.
How does South Africa rank for people using at least basic sanitation services, rural (% of rural)?
South Africa ranks 55th out of 97 countries with data for 2017.
Is people using at least basic sanitation services, rural (% of rural) rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 6.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (washdata.org), published as part of People using at least basic sanitation services, rural (% of rural population): Q5 (highest). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 18 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

People using at least basic sanitation services, rural (% of rural) in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (washdata.org). Retrieved 09 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/people-using-at-least-basic-sanitation-services-rural-percent-of-rural-population-q5/south-africa/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://health.statizoid.com/stat/people-using-at-least-basic-sanitation-services-rural-percent-of-rural-population-q5/south-africa/">People using at least basic sanitation services, rural (% of rural) in South Africa</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
People using at least basic sanitation services, rural (% of rural population): Q5 (highest)
Unit
highest
Source
WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (washdata.org)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
97 places, 1,663 data points, 2000–2017
Last refreshed