People not using improved sanitation facilities in United States

United States: People not using improved sanitation facilities was 1.32 million people in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
1.32 million people
Change on year
down 0.3%
World rank
59th
of 232 countries
All-time high
1.32 million people
in 2023
All-time low
358,233 people
in 2000
Years of data
25
2000–2024

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

400.0k600.0k800.0k1.0M1.2M1.4M2000201220242000: 358.2k people2001: 362.6k people2002: 367.0k people2003: 371.4k people2004: 375.9k people2005: 380.5k people2006: 385.2k people2007: 390.1k people2008: 394.9k people2009: 399.7k people2010: 402.7k people2011: 477.4k people2012: 552.1k people2013: 626.6k people2014: 701.0k people2015: 775.1k people2016: 849.0k people2017: 922.4k people2018: 994.7k people2019: 1.1M people2020: 1.1M people2021: 1.2M people2022: 1.3M people2023: 1.3M people2024: 1.3M 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 United States is 1.32 million people, measured in 2024.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.3% on the previous year and up 88.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, people not using improved sanitation facilities in United States peaked at 1.32 million people in 2023 and was at its lowest, 358,233 people, in 2000.

That places United States 59th 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 378,562 people 358,233 people 399,717 people 10
2010s 736,703 people 402,712 people 1.07 million people 10
2020s 1.25 million people 1.13 million people 1.32 million people 5

Countries ranked near United States

  1. 56 Bolivia 1.50 million people compare
  2. 57 Colombia 1.46 million people compare
  3. 58 Namibia 1.43 million people compare
  4. 60 Cambodia 1.30 million people compare
  5. 61 Argentina 1.27 million people compare
  6. 62 Guinea-Bissau 1.16 million people compare

See the full ranking of 232 places →

More reference data data for United States

All data for United States →

Frequently asked questions

What is people not using improved sanitation facilities in United States?
People not using improved sanitation facilities in United States was 1.32 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 United States?
The highest recorded value was 1.32 million people in 2023.
What is the lowest people not using improved sanitation facilities recorded in United States?
The lowest recorded value was 358,233 people in 2000.
How does United States rank for people not using improved sanitation facilities?
United States ranks 59th out of 232 countries with data for 2024.
Is people not using improved sanitation facilities rising or falling in United States?
Over the last ten years it is up 88.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this United States 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.