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 18.1% 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 rural population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for people with basic handwashing facilities including soap and water in Sub-Saharan Africa is 18.1%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 14 years on record.
The figure is up 3.3% on the previous year and up 22.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, people with basic handwashing facilities including soap and water in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 18.1% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 13.6%, in 2011.
Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 28th of 32 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, year by year
| Year | % of rural population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 13.6% | — |
| 2012 | 14.5% | +5.9% |
| 2013 | 15.1% | +4.5% |
| 2014 | 14.8% | -1.9% |
| 2015 | 14.9% | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 15.3% | +2.5% |
| 2017 | 15.6% | +1.8% |
| 2018 | 15.8% | +1.7% |
| 2019 | 16.1% | +1.9% |
| 2020 | 16.4% | +1.5% |
| 2021 | 16.2% | -0.7% |
| 2022 | 16.5% | +1.6% |
| 2023 | 17.5% | +6.0% |
| 2024 | 18.1% | +3.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 15.1% | 13.6% | 16.1% | 9 |
| 2020s | 16.9% | 16.2% | 18.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
More health data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Population ages 65-69, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 60-64, male, per capita 0.0086 units per person (2025)
- Population, female, annual growth rate 2.45 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 65 and above, total, per capita 0.0323 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 65 and above, total, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 65-69, female, annual growth rate 3.61 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 65 and above, total, annual growth rate 3.67 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 65 and above, male, per capita 0.0142 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 65 and above, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, total, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (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 18.1% 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 18.1% 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 13.6% in 2011.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for people with basic handwashing facilities including soap and water?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 28th out of 32 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 22.0%. 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, rural (% of rural population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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.