Colombia vs United States: People not using improved sanitation facilities

Colombia
1.46 million people
in 2024
United States
1.32 million people
in 2024
Colombia rank
57th
United States rank
59th

People not using improved sanitation facilities over time

  • Colombia
  • United States
01.0M2.0M3.0M4.0M200020122024

How they compare

Colombia currently reports 1.46 million people against 1.32 million people in United States, a difference of 146,050 people.

That makes Colombia's figure about 1.1 times United States's.

Across all 25 years both countries report, Colombia has been ahead every year.

Colombia ranks 57th and United States ranks 59th of 232 countries.

Colombia has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Colombia United States Difference Ahead
2000s 3.73 million people 378,562 people 3.35 million people Colombia
2010s 2.57 million people 736,703 people 1.83 million people Colombia
2020s 1.71 million people 1.25 million people 460,756 people Colombia

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher people not using improved sanitation facilities, Colombia or United States?
Colombia, at 1.46 million people against 1.32 million people in United States as of 2024.
What is the difference in people not using improved sanitation facilities between Colombia and United States?
146,050 people, with Colombia ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Colombia and United States?
25 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2024.
How do Colombia and United States rank globally for people not using improved sanitation facilities?
Colombia ranks 57th and United States ranks 59th 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 not using improved sanitation facilities. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
People not using improved sanitation facilities
Unit
people
Source
WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
232 places, 5,597 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed

If no improved sanitation facility is available, people might practice open defecation or use unimproved sanitation facilities.