People without basic handwashing facilities in Democratic Republic of Congo

Democratic Republic of Congo: People without basic handwashing facilities was 82.58 million people in 2022. ▲ Rising

Latest (2022)
82.58 million people
Change on year
up 3.2%
World rank
4th
of 120 countries
All-time high
82.58 million people
in 2022
All-time low
63.78 million people
in 2014
Years of data
9
2014–2022

People without basic handwashing facilities in Democratic Republic of Congo, 2014–2022

020.0M40.0M60.0M80.0M2014201820222014: 63.8M people2015: 65.9M people2016: 68.2M people2017: 70.6M people2018: 72.9M people2019: 75.2M people2020: 77.6M people2021: 80.1M people2022: 82.6M 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 Democratic Republic of Congo is 82.58 million people, measured in 2022. That is the highest value across all 9 years on record.

The figure is up 3.2% on the previous year and up 29.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, people without basic handwashing facilities in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 82.58 million people in 2022 and was at its lowest, 63.78 million people, in 2014.

That places Democratic Republic of Congo 4th out of 120 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top 10%.

People without basic handwashing facilities in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year

Annual values for People without basic handwashing facilities in Democratic Republic of Congo, 2014 to 2022.
Year people Change
2014 63.78 million people
2015 65.85 million people +3.3%
2016 68.15 million people +3.5%
2017 70.62 million people +3.6%
2018 72.94 million people +3.3%
2019 75.21 million people +3.1%
2020 77.59 million people +3.2%
2021 80.05 million people +3.2%
2022 82.58 million people +3.2%

Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries

  • Democratic Republic of Congo's 82.58 million people is above the median for low income countries, which is 15.87 million people, 5.2× the median. (23 countries reporting)
  • Democratic Republic of Congo's 82.58 million people is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 13.17 million people, 6.3× the median. (44 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 69.42 million people 63.78 million people 75.21 million people 6
2020s 80.07 million people 77.59 million people 82.58 million people 3

Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo

  1. 1 Nigeria 159.83 million people compare
  2. 2 India 149.56 million people compare
  3. 3 Ethiopia 124.33 million people compare
  4. 5 Indonesia 57.32 million people compare
  5. 6 Tanzania 56.59 million people compare
  6. 7 Bangladesh 48.92 million people compare

See the full ranking of 120 places →

More reference data data for Democratic Republic of Congo

All data for Democratic Republic of Congo →

Frequently asked questions

What is people without basic handwashing facilities in Democratic Republic of Congo?
People without basic handwashing facilities in Democratic Republic of Congo was 82.58 million people in 2022, 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 Democratic Republic of Congo?
The highest recorded value was 82.58 million people in 2022.
What is the lowest people without basic handwashing facilities recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
The lowest recorded value was 63.78 million people in 2014.
How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for people without basic handwashing facilities?
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 4th out of 120 countries with data for 2022.
Is people without basic handwashing facilities rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
Over the last ten years it is up 29.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo 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.

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People without basic handwashing facilities in Democratic Republic of Congo. Statizoid, drawing on WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 24 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/number-without-basic-handwashing/congo-dem-rep/

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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.