Italy vs South Africa: People using at least basic sanitation facilities
Italy
59.27 million people
in 2024
South Africa
49.53 million people
in 2024
Italy rank
21st
South Africa rank
24th
People using at least basic sanitation facilities over time
- Italy
- South Africa
How they compare
Italy currently reports 59.27 million people against 49.53 million people in South Africa, a difference of 9.74 million people.
That makes Italy's figure about 1.2 times South Africa's.
Across all 25 years both countries report, Italy has been ahead every year.
Italy ranks 21st and South Africa ranks 24th of 232 countries.
Italy has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Italy | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 58.31 million people | 31.58 million people | 26.73 million people | Italy |
| 2010s | 60.35 million people | 39.89 million people | 20.46 million people | Italy |
| 2020s | 59.55 million people | 47.48 million people | 12.07 million people | Italy |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher people using at least basic sanitation facilities, Italy or South Africa?
- Italy, at 59.27 million people against 49.53 million people in South Africa as of 2024.
- What is the difference in people using at least basic sanitation facilities between Italy and South Africa?
- 9.74 million people, with Italy ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Italy and South Africa?
- 25 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2024.
- How do Italy and South Africa rank globally for people using at least basic sanitation facilities?
- Italy ranks 21st and South Africa ranks 24th of 232 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as People using at least basic sanitation facilities. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Number of people using improved sanitation facilities that are not shared with other households.