Somalia vs South Africa: People not using safely managed sanitation facilities
Somalia
15.89 million people
in 2024
South Africa
16.78 million people
in 2024
Somalia rank
36th
South Africa rank
35th
People not using safely managed sanitation facilities over time
- Somalia
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 16.78 million people against 15.89 million people in Somalia, a difference of 887,300 people.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.1 times Somalia's.
Across all 25 years both countries report, South Africa has been ahead every year.
Somalia ranks 36th and South Africa ranks 35th of 150 countries.
South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Somalia | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 9.53 million people | 24.59 million people | 15.06 million people | South Africa |
| 2010s | 12.06 million people | 23.50 million people | 11.44 million people | South Africa |
| 2020s | 15.05 million people | 17.98 million people | 2.93 million people | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher people not using safely managed sanitation facilities, Somalia or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 16.78 million people against 15.89 million people in Somalia as of 2024.
- What is the difference in people not using safely managed sanitation facilities between Somalia and South Africa?
- 887,300 people, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Somalia and South Africa?
- 25 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2024.
- How do Somalia and South Africa rank globally for people not using safely managed sanitation facilities?
- Somalia ranks 36th and South Africa ranks 35th of 150 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 safely managed sanitation facilities. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
People not using safely managed sanitation services might practice open defecation, use unimproved sanitation facilities, or use improved facilities that do not safely manage human waste.