Democratic Republic of Congo vs Nigeria: People in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities

Democratic Republic of Congo

45.12 million people

in 2024

Nigeria

61.74 million people

in 2024

Democratic Republic of Congo rank

4th

Nigeria rank

3rd

People in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities over time

Nigeria currently reports 61.74 million people against 45.12 million people in Democratic Republic of Congo, a difference of 16.62 million people.

That makes Nigeria's figure about 1.4 times Democratic Republic of Congo's.

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

Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 4th and Nigeria ranks 3rd of 175 countries.

Indicator: People in rural areas 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: 175 places, 4,269 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

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