Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Burundi

Burundi: Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas was 2.3% in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
2.3%
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
71st
of 175 countries
All-time high
2.6%
in 2000
All-time low
2.3%
in 2022
Years of data
25
2000–2024

Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Burundi, 2000–2024

01232000201220242000: 2.6 %2001: 2.6 %2002: 2.6 %2003: 2.6 %2004: 2.6 %2005: 2.5 %2006: 2.5 %2007: 2.5 %2008: 2.5 %2009: 2.5 %2010: 2.5 %2011: 2.5 %2012: 2.4 %2013: 2.4 %2014: 2.4 %2015: 2.4 %2016: 2.4 %2017: 2.4 %2018: 2.3 %2019: 2.3 %2020: 2.3 %2021: 2.3 %2022: 2.3 %2023: 2.3 %2024: 2.3 %

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Burundi is 2.3%, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

That represents a change of down 5.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Burundi peaked at 2.6% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 2.3%, in 2022.

Burundi ranks 71st of 175 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

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

Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Burundi, year by year

Annual values for Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Burundi, 2000 to 2024.
Year % Change
2000 2.6% —
2001 2.6% -0.6%
2002 2.6% -0.6%
2003 2.6% -0.6%
2004 2.6% -0.6%
2005 2.5% -0.6%
2006 2.5% -0.6%
2007 2.5% -0.6%
2008 2.5% -0.6%
2009 2.5% -0.6%
2010 2.5% -0.6%
2011 2.5% -0.6%
2012 2.4% -0.6%
2013 2.4% -0.7%
2014 2.4% -0.7%
2015 2.4% -0.7%
2016 2.4% -0.7%
2017 2.4% -0.7%
2018 2.3% -0.7%
2019 2.3% -0.7%
2020 2.3% -0.7%
2021 2.3% -0.7%
2022 2.3% -0.7%
2023 2.3% +0.0%
2024 2.3% +0.0%

Burundi compared with similar countries

  • Burundi's 2.3% is below the median for low income countries, which is 20.4%, 11% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
  • Burundi's 2.3% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 19.7%, 12% of the median. (47 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 2.6% 2.5% 2.6% 10
2010s 2.4% 2.3% 2.5% 10
2020s 2.3% 2.3% 2.3% 5

Countries ranked near Burundi

  1. 68 Suriname 3.2% compare
  2. 69 Gabon 2.6% compare
  3. 70 El Salvador 2.4% compare
  4. 72 Malawi 2.2% compare
  5. 73 Tuvalu 2.2% compare
  6. 74 Comoros 2.1% compare

See the full ranking of 175 places →

More reference data data for Burundi

All data for Burundi →

Frequently asked questions

What is open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Burundi?
Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Burundi was 2.3% 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 Burundi?
The highest recorded value was 2.6% in 2000.
What is the lowest open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas recorded in Burundi?
The lowest recorded value was 2.3% in 2022.
How does Burundi rank for open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas?
Burundi ranks 71st out of 175 countries with data for 2024.
Is open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas rising or falling in Burundi?
Over the last ten years it is down 5.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Burundi 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.

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Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Burundi. Statizoid, drawing on WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 29 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/open-defecation-in-rural-areas-vs-urban-areas/burundi/

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About this data

Indicator
Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas
Unit
%
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
175 places, 4,232 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed

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.