Lesotho vs Malawi: Sanitation facilities usage in rural areas

Lesotho
318,237 people
in 2024
Malawi
387,153 people
in 2024
Lesotho rank
49th
Malawi rank
46th

Sanitation facilities usage in rural areas over time

  • Lesotho
  • Malawi
500.0k1.0M1.5M200020122024

How they compare

Malawi currently reports 387,153 people against 318,237 people in Lesotho, a difference of 68,916 people.

That makes Malawi's figure about 1.2 times Lesotho's.

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

Lesotho ranks 49th and Malawi ranks 46th of 175 countries.

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

Head to head by decade

Decade Lesotho Malawi Difference Ahead
2000s 745,291 people 1.50 million people 753,063 people Malawi
2010s 514,870 people 1.10 million people 587,358 people Malawi
2020s 362,135 people 569,757 people 207,621 people Malawi

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher sanitation facilities usage in rural areas, Lesotho or Malawi?
Malawi, at 387,153 people against 318,237 people in Lesotho as of 2024.
What is the difference in sanitation facilities usage in rural areas between Lesotho and Malawi?
68,916 people, with Malawi ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Lesotho and Malawi?
25 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2024.
How do Lesotho and Malawi rank globally for sanitation facilities usage in rural areas?
Lesotho ranks 49th and Malawi ranks 46th of 175 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 Sanitation facilities usage in rural areas. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Sanitation facilities usage in rural areas
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, 4,232 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed

Open defecation includes defecating in fields, forests, bushes, bodies of water or other open spaces, not using any sanitation facilities.