People not using improved sanitation facilities in United Kingdom

United Kingdom: People not using improved sanitation facilities was 118,884 people in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
118,884 people
Change on year
up 0.6%
World rank
96th
of 232 countries
All-time high
118,884 people
in 2024
All-time low
103,848 people
in 2000
Years of data
25
2000–2024

People not using improved sanitation facilities in United Kingdom, 2000–2024

025.0k50.0k75.0k100.0k125.0k2000201220242000: 103.8k people2001: 104.2k people2002: 104.6k people2003: 104.9k people2004: 105.4k people2005: 106.1k people2006: 106.8k people2007: 107.5k people2008: 108.3k people2009: 109.0k people2010: 109.7k people2011: 110.5k people2012: 111.2k people2013: 111.8k people2014: 112.6k people2015: 113.3k people2016: 114.1k people2017: 114.8k people2018: 115.4k people2019: 115.9k people2020: 116.2k people2021: 116.7k people2022: 117.4k people2023: 118.2k people2024: 118.9k people

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

Analysis

United Kingdom recorded 118,884 people for people not using improved sanitation facilities in 2024. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.6% on the previous year and up 5.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, people not using improved sanitation facilities in United Kingdom peaked at 118,884 people in 2024 and was at its lowest, 103,848 people, in 2000.

That places United Kingdom 96th out of 232 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 106,057 people 103,848 people 108,982 people 10
2010s 112,944 people 109,749 people 115,910 people 10
2020s 117,482 people 116,223 people 118,884 people 5

Countries ranked near United Kingdom

  1. 93 Serbia 138,611 people compare
  2. 94 Bosnia and Herzegovina 136,093 people compare
  3. 95 Eswatini 135,383 people compare
  4. 97 Sao Tome and Principe 107,260 people compare
  5. 98 Latvia 98,652 people compare
  6. 99 Tunisia 95,208 people compare

See the full ranking of 232 places →

More reference data data for United Kingdom

All data for United Kingdom →

Frequently asked questions

What is people not using improved sanitation facilities in United Kingdom?
People not using improved sanitation facilities in United Kingdom was 118,884 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 United Kingdom?
The highest recorded value was 118,884 people in 2024.
What is the lowest people not using improved sanitation facilities recorded in United Kingdom?
The lowest recorded value was 103,848 people in 2000.
How does United Kingdom rank for people not using improved sanitation facilities?
United Kingdom ranks 96th out of 232 countries with data for 2024.
Is people not using improved sanitation facilities rising or falling in United Kingdom?
Over the last ten years it is up 5.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this United Kingdom 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.