Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Bolivia
Bolivia: Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas was 24.9% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Bolivia, 2000–2024
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Bolivia stood at 24.9%. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 6.1% on the previous year and down 39.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Bolivia peaked at 63.6% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 24.9%, in 2024.
Bolivia ranks 23rd of 175 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Bolivia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 63.6% | — |
| 2001 | 62.0% | -2.5% |
| 2002 | 60.4% | -2.6% |
| 2003 | 58.8% | -2.7% |
| 2004 | 57.2% | -2.7% |
| 2005 | 55.6% | -2.8% |
| 2006 | 53.9% | -2.9% |
| 2007 | 52.3% | -3.0% |
| 2008 | 50.7% | -3.1% |
| 2009 | 49.1% | -3.2% |
| 2010 | 47.5% | -3.3% |
| 2011 | 45.9% | -3.4% |
| 2012 | 44.3% | -3.5% |
| 2013 | 42.7% | -3.6% |
| 2014 | 41.0% | -3.8% |
| 2015 | 39.4% | -3.9% |
| 2016 | 37.8% | -4.1% |
| 2017 | 36.2% | -4.3% |
| 2018 | 34.6% | -4.5% |
| 2019 | 33.0% | -4.7% |
| 2020 | 31.4% | -4.9% |
| 2021 | 29.8% | -5.1% |
| 2022 | 28.2% | -5.4% |
| 2023 | 26.5% | -5.7% |
| 2024 | 24.9% | -6.1% |
Bolivia compared with similar countries
- Bolivia's 24.9% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 11.0%, 2.3× the median. (44 countries reporting)
- Bolivia's 24.9% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 1.4%, 17.8× the median. (27 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 56.4% | 49.1% | 63.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 40.2% | 33.0% | 47.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 28.2% | 24.9% | 31.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Bolivia
- 20 Cote d'Ivoire 31.0% compare
- 21 Ghana 30.8% compare
- 22 Somalia 26.4% compare
- 24 Sierra Leone 24.8% compare
- 25 Sudan 24.1% compare
- 26 Mozambique 23.5% compare
More reference data data for Bolivia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.7329 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.91 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 5.22 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.3892 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 5.22 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 2.46 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.33 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 18.39 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 25.12 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.12 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Bolivia?
- Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Bolivia was 24.9% 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 open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas recorded in Bolivia?
- The highest recorded value was 63.6% in 2000.
- What is the lowest open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas recorded in Bolivia?
- The lowest recorded value was 24.9% in 2024.
- How does Bolivia rank for open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas?
- Bolivia ranks 23rd out of 175 countries with data for 2024.
- Is open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas rising or falling in Bolivia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 39.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Bolivia 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 Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas. 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
Share of people who practice open defecation. This includes defecating in fields, forests, bushes, bodies of water or other open spaces, not using any sanitation facilities.