People using at least basic sanitation facilities in Malawi

Malawi: People using at least basic sanitation facilities was 10.66 million people in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
10.66 million people
Change on year
up 2.6%
World rank
71st
of 232 countries
All-time high
10.66 million people
in 2024
All-time low
1.06 million people
in 2000
Years of data
25
2000–2024

People using at least basic sanitation facilities in Malawi, 2000–2024

2.0M4.0M6.0M8.0M10.0M2000201220242000: 1.1M people2001: 1.1M people2002: 1.1M people2003: 1.1M people2004: 1.2M people2005: 1.5M people2006: 1.8M people2007: 2.2M people2008: 2.6M people2009: 3.0M people2010: 3.4M people2011: 3.8M people2012: 4.3M people2013: 4.8M people2014: 5.3M people2015: 5.8M people2016: 6.4M people2017: 6.9M people2018: 7.5M people2019: 8.1M people2020: 8.8M people2021: 9.4M people2022: 10.1M people2023: 10.4M people2024: 10.7M people

Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.

Analysis

In 2024, people using at least basic sanitation facilities in Malawi stood at 10.66 million people. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.

The figure is up 2.6% on the previous year and up 101.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, people using at least basic sanitation facilities in Malawi peaked at 10.66 million people in 2024 and was at its lowest, 1.06 million people, in 2000.

That places Malawi 71st out of 232 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 1.67 million people 1.06 million people 2.98 million people 10
2010s 5.64 million people 3.40 million people 8.14 million people 10
2020s 9.88 million people 8.78 million people 10.66 million people 5

Countries ranked near Malawi

  1. 68 Jordan 11.14 million people compare
  2. 69 United Arab Emirates 10.93 million people compare
  3. 70 Ghana 10.87 million people compare
  4. 72 Czechia 10.64 million people compare
  5. 73 Sweden 10.47 million people compare
  6. 74 Cuba 10.41 million people compare

See the full ranking of 232 places →

More reference data data for Malawi

All data for Malawi →

Frequently asked questions

What is people using at least basic sanitation facilities in Malawi?
People using at least basic sanitation facilities in Malawi was 10.66 million people in 2024, according to WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest people using at least basic sanitation facilities recorded in Malawi?
The highest recorded value was 10.66 million people in 2024.
What is the lowest people using at least basic sanitation facilities recorded in Malawi?
The lowest recorded value was 1.06 million people in 2000.
How does Malawi rank for people using at least basic sanitation facilities?
Malawi ranks 71st out of 232 countries with data for 2024.
Is people using at least basic sanitation facilities rising or falling in Malawi?
Over the last ten years it is up 101.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Malawi data come from?
The figures come from WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of People using at least basic sanitation facilities. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
People using at least basic 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
232 places, 5,597 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed

Number of people using improved sanitation facilities that are not shared with other households.