Share of children with diarrhea receiving oral rehydration salts in Afghanistan

Afghanistan: Share of children with diarrhea receiving oral rehydration salts was 39.9% in 2018. ▲ Rising

Latest (2018)
39.9%
Change on year
down 13.6%
World rank
54th
of 96 countries
All-time high
53.3%
in 2011
All-time low
11.0%
in 1987
Years of data
8
1986–2018

Share of children with diarrhea receiving oral rehydration salts in Afghanistan, 1986–2018

10203040501986200220181986: 26 % of children under 5 who received ORS packet1987: 11 % of children under 5 who received ORS packet1989: 11 % of children under 5 who received ORS packet1997: 33 % of children under 5 who received ORS packet2003: 29.5 % of children under 5 who received ORS packet2011: 53.3 % of children under 5 who received ORS packet2015: 46.2 % of children under 5 who received ORS packet2018: 39.9 % 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. Measured in % of children under 5 who received ORS packet.

Analysis

In 2018, share of children with diarrhea receiving oral rehydration salts in Afghanistan stood at 39.9%.

That represents a change of down 13.6% on the previous year and down 25.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of children with diarrhea receiving oral rehydration salts in Afghanistan peaked at 53.3% in 2011 and was at its lowest, 11.0%, in 1987.

That places Afghanistan 54th out of 96 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the middle of the range.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 16.0% 11.0% 26.0% 3
1990s 33.0% 33.0% 33.0% 1
2000s 29.5% 29.5% 29.5% 1
2010s 46.5% 39.9% 53.3% 3

Countries ranked near Afghanistan

  1. 51 Equatorial Guinea 40.4% compare
  2. 52 Bolivia 40.0% compare
  3. 52 Nigeria 40.0% compare
  4. 55 Lesotho 39.7% compare
  5. 56 Guyana 39.6% compare
  6. 56 Tunisia 39.6% compare

See the full ranking of 96 places →

More reference data data for Afghanistan

All data for Afghanistan →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of children with diarrhea receiving oral rehydration salts in Afghanistan?
Share of children with diarrhea receiving oral rehydration salts in Afghanistan was 39.9% in 2018, according to Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and UNICEF, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of children with diarrhea receiving oral rehydration salts recorded in Afghanistan?
The highest recorded value was 53.3% in 2011.
What is the lowest share of children with diarrhea receiving oral rehydration salts recorded in Afghanistan?
The lowest recorded value was 11.0% in 1987.
How does Afghanistan rank for share of children with diarrhea receiving oral rehydration salts?
Afghanistan ranks 54th out of 96 countries with data for 2018.
Is share of children with diarrhea receiving oral rehydration salts rising or falling in Afghanistan?
Over the last ten years it is down 25.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Afghanistan data come from?
The figures come from Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and UNICEF, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of children with diarrhea receiving oral rehydration salts. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

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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.