People with basic handwashing facilities including soap and water in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: 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, 2011–2024
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene, World Health Organization (WHO). Measured in % of population.
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa recorded 25.0% for people with basic handwashing facilities including soap and water in 2024. That is the highest value across all 14 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it 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 peaked at 25.0% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 20.9%, in 2011.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa 26th out of 31 groups with data for 2024, putting it 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, 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
More health data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Population ages 15-64, total, per capita 0.5639 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, male, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, male, per capita 0.2801 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, total, annual growth rate 3 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, total, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 65 and above, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 65 and above, male, annual growth rate 3.59 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 65 and above, female, per capita 0.0181 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, male, annual growth rate 3.04 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 65 and above, female, annual growth rate 3.74 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is people with basic handwashing facilities including soap and water in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- People with basic handwashing facilities including soap and water in Sub-Saharan Africa 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?
- 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?
- The lowest recorded value was 20.9% in 2011.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for people with basic handwashing facilities including soap and water?
- Sub-Saharan Africa 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?
- 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 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.