People not using improved sanitation facilities in Kenya

Kenya: People not using improved sanitation facilities was 17.81 million people in 2024. ▬ Flat

Latest (2024)
17.81 million people
Change on year
down 1.7%
World rank
12th
of 232 countries
All-time high
20.05 million people
in 2012
All-time low
17.81 million people
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

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

05.0M10.0M15.0M20.0M2000201220242000: 18.3M people2001: 18.5M people2002: 18.7M people2003: 18.9M people2004: 19.1M people2005: 19.3M people2006: 19.4M people2007: 19.6M people2008: 19.7M people2009: 19.9M people2010: 20.0M people2011: 20.0M people2012: 20.0M people2013: 20.0M people2014: 20.0M people2015: 19.9M people2016: 19.7M people2017: 19.6M people2018: 19.4M people2019: 19.2M people2020: 19.0M people2021: 18.7M people2022: 18.4M people2023: 18.1M people2024: 17.8M people

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for people not using improved sanitation facilities in Kenya is 17.81 million people, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

That represents a change of down 1.7% on the previous year and down 10.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, people not using improved sanitation facilities in Kenya peaked at 20.05 million people in 2012 and was at its lowest, 17.81 million people, in 2024.

Kenya ranks 12th of 232 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 19.13 million people 18.26 million people 19.87 million people 10
2010s 19.78 million people 19.19 million people 20.05 million people 10
2020s 18.39 million people 17.81 million people 18.95 million people 5

Countries ranked near Kenya

  1. 9 Niger 19.86 million people compare
  2. 10 Madagascar 19.76 million people compare
  3. 11 Mozambique 19.36 million people compare
  4. 13 Chad 16.50 million people compare
  5. 14 Brazil 15.89 million people compare
  6. 15 Sudan 15.27 million people compare

See the full ranking of 232 places →

More reference data data for Kenya

All data for Kenya →

Frequently asked questions

What is people not using improved sanitation facilities in Kenya?
People not using improved sanitation facilities in Kenya was 17.81 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 not using improved sanitation facilities recorded in Kenya?
The highest recorded value was 20.05 million people in 2012.
What is the lowest people not using improved sanitation facilities recorded in Kenya?
The lowest recorded value was 17.81 million people in 2024.
How does Kenya rank for people not using improved sanitation facilities?
Kenya ranks 12th out of 232 countries with data for 2024.
Is people not using improved sanitation facilities rising or falling in Kenya?
Over the last ten years it is down 10.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Kenya 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.