People with basic handwashing facilities including soap and water in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income): People with basic handwashing facilities including soap and water was 25.0% in 2024. ▲ Rising
People with basic handwashing facilities including soap and water in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), 2011–2024
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene, World Health Organization (WHO). Measured in % of population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for people with basic handwashing facilities including soap and water in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) is 25.0%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 14 years on record.
The figure is up 2.6% on the previous year and up 9.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, people with basic handwashing facilities including soap and water in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) peaked at 25.0% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 20.9%, in 2011.
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 26th of 31 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 14 years of available data.
People with basic handwashing facilities including soap and water in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | % of population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 20.9% | — |
| 2012 | 22.7% | +8.7% |
| 2013 | 23.4% | +2.8% |
| 2014 | 22.9% | -2.0% |
| 2015 | 23.0% | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 23.3% | +1.3% |
| 2017 | 23.3% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 23.5% | +1.0% |
| 2019 | 23.8% | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 24.0% | +0.6% |
| 2021 | 23.1% | -3.6% |
| 2022 | 23.4% | +1.4% |
| 2023 | 24.4% | +4.0% |
| 2024 | 25.0% | +2.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 23.0% | 20.9% | 23.8% | 9 |
| 2020s | 24.0% | 23.1% | 25.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
More health data for Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
- Population ages 50-54, male, annual growth rate 3.53 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 55-59, male, annual growth rate 3.59 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 55-59, female, per capita 0.0125 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 55-59, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 10-14, male, per capita 0.0617 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 55-59, female, annual growth rate 3.3 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 50-54, male, per capita 0.0147 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 50-54, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 15-19, female, annual growth rate 2.62 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 15-19, female, per capita 0.054 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is people with basic handwashing facilities including soap and water in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- People with basic handwashing facilities including soap and water in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) was 25.0% 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 with basic handwashing facilities including soap and water recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 25.0% in 2024.
- What is the lowest people with basic handwashing facilities including soap and water recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 20.9% in 2011.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank for people with basic handwashing facilities including soap and water?
- Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 26th out of 31 groups with data for 2024.
- Is people with basic handwashing facilities including soap and water rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 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 with basic handwashing facilities including soap and water (% of population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
The percentage of people living in households that have a handwashing facility with soap and water available on the premises. Handwashing facilities may be fixed or mobile and include a sink with tap water, buckets with taps, tippy-taps, and jugs or basins designated for handwashing. Soap includes bar soap, liquid soap, powder detergent, and soapy water but does not include ash, soil, sand or other handwashing agents.