North Korea vs Syria: People using at least basic sanitation facilities
North Korea
22.41 million people
in 2023
Syria
23.60 million people
in 2024
North Korea rank
47th
Syria rank
44th
People using at least basic sanitation facilities over time
- North Korea
- Syria
How they compare
Syria currently reports 23.60 million people against 22.41 million people in North Korea, a difference of 1.19 million people.
That makes Syria's figure about 1.1 times North Korea's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 22 shared years of data; in 2002 it was North Korea ahead.
North Korea ranks 47th and Syria ranks 44th of 232 countries.
North Korea has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | North Korea | Syria | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 18.51 million people | 17.56 million people | 948,125 people | North Korea |
| 2010s | 20.75 million people | 19.20 million people | 1.55 million people | North Korea |
| 2020s | 22.27 million people | 21.04 million people | 1.23 million people | North Korea |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher people using at least basic sanitation facilities, North Korea or Syria?
- Syria, at 23.60 million people against 22.41 million people in North Korea as of 2024.
- What is the difference in people using at least basic sanitation facilities between North Korea and Syria?
- 1.19 million people, with Syria ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for North Korea and Syria?
- 22 years are reported by both, from 2002 to 2023.
- How do North Korea and Syria rank globally for people using at least basic sanitation facilities?
- North Korea ranks 47th and Syria ranks 44th 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.