People with basic handwashing facilities including soap and water in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: People with basic handwashing facilities including soap and water was 16.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising
People with basic handwashing facilities including soap and water in Sierra Leone, 2004–2024
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene, World Health Organization (WHO). Measured in % of rural population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for people with basic handwashing facilities including soap and water in Sierra Leone is 16.7%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 21 years on record.
The figure is up 4.5% on the previous year and up 75.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, people with basic handwashing facilities including soap and water in Sierra Leone peaked at 16.7% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 5.2%, in 2004.
Sierra Leone ranks 92nd of 113 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 21 years of available data.
People with basic handwashing facilities including soap and water in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | % of rural population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 5.2% | — |
| 2005 | 5.2% | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 5.2% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 5.2% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 5.2% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 5.9% | +13.8% |
| 2010 | 6.7% | +12.1% |
| 2011 | 7.4% | +10.8% |
| 2012 | 8.1% | +9.7% |
| 2013 | 8.8% | +8.9% |
| 2014 | 9.5% | +8.2% |
| 2015 | 10.3% | +7.5% |
| 2016 | 11.0% | +7.0% |
| 2017 | 11.7% | +6.5% |
| 2018 | 12.4% | +6.1% |
| 2019 | 13.1% | +5.8% |
| 2020 | 13.9% | +5.5% |
| 2021 | 14.6% | +5.2% |
| 2022 | 15.3% | +4.9% |
| 2023 | 16.0% | +4.7% |
| 2024 | 16.7% | +4.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 5.3% | 5.2% | 5.9% | 6 |
| 2010s | 9.9% | 6.7% | 13.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 15.3% | 13.9% | 16.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
- 89 South Sudan 18.4% compare
- 90 Lesotho 17.7% compare
- 91 Mauritania 17.0% compare
- 93 Rwanda 16.0% compare
- 94 Guinea-Bissau 15.7% compare
- 95 Haiti 15.5% compare
More health data for Sierra Leone
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.34 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.773 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,199 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 4,209 deaths (2100)
- Population ages 05-09, female, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 05-09, female, per capita 0.0619 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 05-09, male, annual growth rate 1.28 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 05-09, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 05-09, male, per capita 0.0628 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 10-14, female, annual growth rate 0.7846 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is people with basic handwashing facilities including soap and water in Sierra Leone?
- People with basic handwashing facilities including soap and water in Sierra Leone was 16.7% 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 Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 16.7% in 2024.
- What is the lowest people with basic handwashing facilities including soap and water recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.2% in 2004.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for people with basic handwashing facilities including soap and water?
- Sierra Leone ranks 92nd out of 113 countries with data for 2024.
- Is people with basic handwashing facilities including soap and water rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is up 75.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sierra Leone 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, rural (% of rural population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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.