Share of children with diarrhea receiving oral rehydration salts by country

The share of children under five years old with diarrhea, in the two weeks prior to the survey, who received oral rehydration salts.

Countries reporting
96
Highest
95.4%
Nicaragua
Lowest
13.2%
Somalia
Median
42.1%
Years covered
37
1985–2021
Data points
780

What the numbers show

Share of children with diarrhea receiving oral rehydration salts is currently reported for 96 countries. The highest value is 95.4% in Nicaragua; the lowest is 13.2% in Somalia.

The median across all reporting countries is 42.1%, and the mean is 43.5%.

The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 7.

Over the past decade 60 countries rose and 29 fell. The largest increase was in Jamaica (up 162.7%), and the largest decrease in Somalia (down 55.7%).

Share of children with diarrhea receiving oral rehydration salts: full country ranking

#Country LatestYear 10-year changeTrend
1 Nicaragua 95.4% 2012 up 90.8% rising
2 Sierra Leone 85.3% 2019 up 25.4% rising
3 Eswatini 84.0% 2014 down 1.8% flat
4 Maldives 74.8% 2017 up 31.2% volatile
5 North Korea 74.1% 2017 up 0.1% volatile
6 Thailand 72.5% 2016 up 28.1% rising
7 Bangladesh 72.4% 2019 down 5.5% rising
8 El Salvador 69.8% 2014 up 35.8% rising
9 Zambia 66.8% 2019 up 11.5% rising
10 Jamaica 64.1% 2011 up 162.7% volatile
11 Myanmar 61.9% 2016 up 16.6% rising
12 Tajikistan 61.7% 2017 up 27.5% rising
13 Mexico 61.4% 2015 falling
14 Iran 61.4% 2011 rising
15 Kiribati 61.3% 2019 down 0.3% volatile
16 India 60.6% 2021 up 54.2% rising
17 Nepal 59.5% 2019 up 52.6% rising
18 Oman 58.7% 2014 volatile
19 Samoa 58.6% 2020 down 13.8% volatile
20 Mongolia 58.2% 2018 up 90.2% rising
21 Vietnam 58.1% 2021 up 24.9% flat
22 Costa Rica 56.3% 2018 up 40.8% falling
23 Laos 56.1% 2017 up 21.4% rising
24 Belize 55.2% 2016 up 104.4% falling
25 Guinea 54.9% 2018 up 65.9% volatile
26 Liberia 54.1% 2020 up 1.9% volatile
26 Colombia 54.1% 2010 up 155.2% rising
28 Sri Lanka 54.0% 2016 up 5.7% rising
29 Kenya 53.8% 2014 up 84.2% rising
30 Dominican Republic 53.2% 2019 up 66.8% rising
31 Honduras 52.9% 2019 down 5.0% rising
32 Panama 52.4% 2013 rising
33 Malawi 51.4% 2020 down 25.5% rising
34 Syria 49.8% 2006 up 71.7% volatile
35 Guatemala 48.8% 2015 up 44.4% rising
36 Ghana 47.8% 2018 up 7.4% rising
37 Vanuatu 47.6% 2013 up 105.2% rising
38 Uganda 46.7% 2016 up 17.9% volatile
39 Mozambique 45.9% 2015 down 5.4% rising
40 Ecuador 45.8% 2012 up 55.8% volatile
41 Suriname 45.6% 2018 up 4.6% rising
42 Tanzania 44.8% 2016 down 16.9% rising
42 Philippines 44.8% 2017 down 3.7% rising
44 Jordan 44.4% 2018 up 124.2% falling
45 Gambia 44.3% 2020 up 13.9% volatile
46 Brazil 43.6% 1996 up 9.0% flat
47 Botswana 42.9% 2007 down 12.3% falling
48 Angola 42.6% 2016 volatile
49 Sao Tome and Principe 41.6% 2019 down 15.1% rising
50 Niger 40.8% 2015 up 131.8% volatile
51 Equatorial Guinea 40.4% 2011 up 39.8% rising
52 Bolivia 40.0% 2016 up 38.9% falling
52 Nigeria 40.0% 2018 up 56.9% rising
54 Afghanistan 39.9% 2018 down 25.1% rising
55 Lesotho 39.7% 2018 down 22.6% falling
56 Tunisia 39.6% 2018 down 27.5% rising
56 Guyana 39.6% 2020 down 20.5% volatile
58 Burkina Faso 39.5% 2015 up 139.4% rising
59 Haiti 39.3% 2017 down 2.5% rising
60 Comoros 37.5% 2012 up 102.7% volatile
61 Pakistan 37.4% 2018 down 9.0% flat
62 Armenia 36.9% 2016 up 48.2% rising
63 Solomon Islands 36.6% 2015 down 2.9% falling
64 Kyrgyzstan 36.4% 2018 up 80.2% flat
65 Indonesia 36.1% 2017 up 4.0% falling
66 Burundi 35.6% 2017 up 2.3% rising
67 Cambodia 35.2% 2014 up 66.8% volatile
67 Cuba 35.2% 2019 down 31.1% falling
69 Zimbabwe 32.8% 2019 up 3.5% volatile
70 Papua New Guinea 30.0% 2018 volatile
70 Guinea-Bissau 30.0% 2019 up 60.4% volatile
72 Ethiopia 29.5% 2016 up 48.2% rising
73 Egypt 28.4% 2014 up 0.7% falling
74 Paraguay 28.2% 2016 falling
75 Rwanda 28.0% 2020 down 3.8% rising
76 Algeria 27.3% 2019 up 47.6% rising
77 Congo 26.9% 2015 up 47.8% volatile
78 Gabon 26.1% 2012 up 5.2% rising
79 Senegal 26.0% 2019 up 16.1% rising
80 Iraq 25.4% 2018 down 17.3% falling
81 Yemen 25.3% 2013 down 22.6% volatile
82 Democratic Republic of Congo 24.1% 2018 down 21.8% rising
83 Central African Republic 23.4% 2019 up 50.0% rising
84 Peru 22.4% 2020 down 30.4% rising
85 Benin 22.2% 2018 down 4.7% rising
86 Morocco 22.1% 2011 down 3.5% falling
87 Mali 21.4% 2018 up 52.9% volatile
88 Madagascar 19.6% 2021 up 16.0% rising
88 Sudan 19.6% 2014 down 37.4% rising
90 Mauritania 19.5% 2021 up 3.7% volatile
91 Cameroon 17.9% 2018 up 39.8% volatile
92 Chad 17.4% 2019 up 30.8% volatile
93 Cote d'Ivoire 16.5% 2016 up 61.8% rising
94 Argentina 15.4% 2020 down 12.0% volatile
95 Togo 13.6% 2017 up 33.3% falling
96 Somalia 13.2% 2006 down 55.7% volatile

About this data

Indicator
Share of children with diarrhea receiving oral rehydration salts
Unit
% of children under 5 who received ORS packet
Source
Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and UNICEF, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
96 places, 780 data points, 1985–2021
Last refreshed

The share of children under five years old with diarrhea, in the two weeks prior to the survey, who received oral rehydration salts.