People with basic handwashing facilities including soap and water in South Africa
South Africa: People with basic handwashing facilities including soap and water was 52.6% in 2020. ▬ Flat
People with basic handwashing facilities including soap and water in South Africa, 2012–2020
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene, World Health Organization (WHO). Measured in % of urban population.
Analysis
In 2020, people with basic handwashing facilities including soap and water in South Africa stood at 52.6%. That is the highest value across all 9 years on record.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, people with basic handwashing facilities including soap and water in South Africa peaked at 52.6% in 2012 and was at its lowest, 52.6%, in 2012.
South Africa ranks 75th of 113 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
People with basic handwashing facilities including soap and water in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % of urban population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 52.6% | — |
| 2013 | 52.6% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 52.6% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 52.6% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 52.6% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 52.6% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 52.6% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 52.6% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 52.6% | +0.0% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 52.6% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 93.0%, 56% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 52.6% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 33.3%, 1.6× the median. (43 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 52.6% | 52.6% | 52.6% | 8 |
| 2020s | 52.6% | 52.6% | 52.6% | 1 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More health data for South Africa
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.2 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.1386 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,152 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 3,333 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.5504 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.045 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.0003 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is people with basic handwashing facilities including soap and water in South Africa?
- People with basic handwashing facilities including soap and water in South Africa was 52.6% in 2020, 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 South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 52.6% in 2012.
- What is the lowest people with basic handwashing facilities including soap and water recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 52.6% in 2012.
- How does South Africa rank for people with basic handwashing facilities including soap and water?
- South Africa ranks 75th out of 113 countries with data for 2020.
- Is people with basic handwashing facilities including soap and water rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this South 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, urban (% of urban population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 9 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.