People without basic handwashing facilities in China

China: People without basic handwashing facilities was 39.43 million people in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
39.43 million people
Change on year
down 1.3%
World rank
9th
of 120 countries
All-time high
42.52 million people
in 2017
All-time low
39.43 million people
in 2024
Years of data
8
2017–2024

People without basic handwashing facilities in China, 2017–2024

010.0M20.0M30.0M40.0M2017202020242017: 42.5M people2018: 42.2M people2019: 41.8M people2020: 41.4M people2021: 41.0M people2022: 40.5M people2023: 39.9M people2024: 39.4M 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 without basic handwashing facilities in China is 39.43 million people, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 8 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.3% on the previous year and down 7.3% over ten years.

That places China 9th out of 120 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 42.19 million people 41.84 million people 42.52 million people 3
2020s 40.44 million people 39.43 million people 41.42 million people 5

Countries ranked near China

  1. 6 Tanzania 56.59 million people compare
  2. 7 Bangladesh 48.92 million people compare
  3. 8 Sudan 45.02 million people compare
  4. 10 Pakistan 38.28 million people compare
  5. 11 Uganda 37.73 million people compare
  6. 12 South Africa 33.69 million people compare

See the full ranking of 120 places →

More reference data data for China

All data for China →

Frequently asked questions

What is people without basic handwashing facilities in China?
People without basic handwashing facilities in China was 39.43 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 without basic handwashing facilities recorded in China?
The highest recorded value was 42.52 million people in 2017.
What is the lowest people without basic handwashing facilities recorded in China?
The lowest recorded value was 39.43 million people in 2024.
How does China rank for people without basic handwashing facilities?
China ranks 9th out of 120 countries with data for 2024.
Is people without basic handwashing facilities rising or falling in China?
Over the last ten years it is down 7.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this China 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 without basic handwashing facilities. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 8 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
People without basic handwashing 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
120 places, 1,792 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed

People without access to a handwashing facility with soap and water available at home.