People not using improved sanitation facilities in Iraq

Iraq: People not using improved sanitation facilities was 688,442 people in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
688,442 people
Change on year
up 1.9%
World rank
66th
of 232 countries
All-time high
3.59 million people
in 2000
All-time low
634,586 people
in 2020
Years of data
25
2000–2024

People not using improved sanitation facilities in Iraq, 2000–2024

1.0M2.0M3.0M4.0M2000201220242000: 3.6M people2001: 3.5M people2002: 3.5M people2003: 3.4M people2004: 3.3M people2005: 3.2M people2006: 3.1M people2007: 2.8M people2008: 2.7M people2009: 2.6M people2010: 2.5M people2011: 2.4M people2012: 2.2M people2013: 2.1M people2014: 2.0M people2015: 1.8M people2016: 1.6M people2017: 1.3M people2018: 1.1M people2019: 879.5k people2020: 634.6k people2021: 647.8k people2022: 661.6k people2023: 675.3k people2024: 688.4k 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 not using improved sanitation facilities in Iraq stood at 688,442 people.

That represents a change of up 1.9% on the previous year and down 64.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, people not using improved sanitation facilities in Iraq peaked at 3.59 million people in 2000 and was at its lowest, 634,586 people, in 2020.

That places Iraq 66th 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 3.18 million people 2.61 million people 3.59 million people 10
2010s 1.78 million people 879,513 people 2.49 million people 10
2020s 661,553 people 634,586 people 688,442 people 5

Countries ranked near Iraq

  1. 63 Gambia 1.11 million people compare
  2. 64 Lesotho 766,187 people compare
  3. 65 Honduras 739,787 people compare
  4. 67 Laos 678,318 people compare
  5. 68 Gabon 608,406 people compare
  6. 69 Nepal 598,887 people compare

See the full ranking of 232 places →

More reference data data for Iraq

All data for Iraq →

Frequently asked questions

What is people not using improved sanitation facilities in Iraq?
People not using improved sanitation facilities in Iraq was 688,442 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 Iraq?
The highest recorded value was 3.59 million people in 2000.
What is the lowest people not using improved sanitation facilities recorded in Iraq?
The lowest recorded value was 634,586 people in 2020.
How does Iraq rank for people not using improved sanitation facilities?
Iraq ranks 66th out of 232 countries with data for 2024.
Is people not using improved sanitation facilities rising or falling in Iraq?
Over the last ten years it is down 64.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Iraq 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.