People not using improved sanitation facilities in Costa Rica

Costa Rica: People not using improved sanitation facilities was 45,009 people in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
45,009 people
Change on year
down 9.8%
World rank
114th
of 232 countries
All-time high
183,341 people
in 2000
All-time low
45,009 people
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

People not using improved sanitation facilities in Costa Rica, 2000–2024

50.0k100.0k150.0k200.0k2000201220242000: 183.3k people2001: 177.4k people2002: 171.3k people2003: 165.0k people2004: 158.6k people2005: 152.3k people2006: 146.0k people2007: 139.7k people2008: 133.5k people2009: 127.4k people2010: 121.3k people2011: 115.2k people2012: 109.2k people2013: 103.4k people2014: 97.7k people2015: 92.1k people2016: 86.6k people2017: 81.2k people2018: 75.8k people2019: 70.6k people2020: 65.3k people2021: 60.1k people2022: 54.9k people2023: 49.9k people2024: 45.0k people

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

Analysis

Costa Rica recorded 45,009 people for people not using improved sanitation facilities in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 9.8% on the previous year and down 53.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, people not using improved sanitation facilities in Costa Rica peaked at 183,341 people in 2000 and was at its lowest, 45,009 people, in 2024.

That places Costa Rica 114th out of 232 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 155,467 people 127,407 people 183,341 people 10
2010s 95,304 people 70,588 people 121,270 people 10
2020s 55,067 people 45,009 people 65,346 people 5

Countries ranked near Costa Rica

  1. 111 Cape Verde 52,852 people compare
  2. 112 Croatia 52,427 people compare
  3. 113 Kiribati 49,496 people compare
  4. 115 Syria 40,639 people compare
  5. 116 Jamaica 36,541 people compare
  6. 117 Paraguay 33,929 people compare

See the full ranking of 232 places →

More reference data data for Costa Rica

All data for Costa Rica →

Frequently asked questions

What is people not using improved sanitation facilities in Costa Rica?
People not using improved sanitation facilities in Costa Rica was 45,009 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 not using improved sanitation facilities recorded in Costa Rica?
The highest recorded value was 183,341 people in 2000.
What is the lowest people not using improved sanitation facilities recorded in Costa Rica?
The lowest recorded value was 45,009 people in 2024.
How does Costa Rica rank for people not using improved sanitation facilities?
Costa Rica ranks 114th out of 232 countries with data for 2024.
Is people not using improved sanitation facilities rising or falling in Costa Rica?
Over the last ten years it is down 53.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Costa Rica 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 not using improved 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 not using improved 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

If no improved sanitation facility is available, people might practice open defecation or use unimproved sanitation facilities.