Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Cambodia
Cambodia: Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas was 7.1% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Cambodia, 2000–2024
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Cambodia recorded 7.1% for open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
That represents a change of down 35.5% on the previous year and down 84.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Cambodia peaked at 100.0% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 7.1%, in 2024.
That places Cambodia 55th out of 175 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Cambodia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 100.0% | — |
| 2001 | 96.7% | -3.3% |
| 2002 | 92.8% | -4.0% |
| 2003 | 88.9% | -4.2% |
| 2004 | 85.0% | -4.4% |
| 2005 | 81.1% | -4.6% |
| 2006 | 77.2% | -4.8% |
| 2007 | 73.3% | -5.0% |
| 2008 | 69.4% | -5.3% |
| 2009 | 65.5% | -5.6% |
| 2010 | 61.6% | -5.9% |
| 2011 | 57.7% | -6.3% |
| 2012 | 53.8% | -6.7% |
| 2013 | 50.0% | -7.2% |
| 2014 | 46.1% | -7.8% |
| 2015 | 42.2% | -8.5% |
| 2016 | 38.3% | -9.2% |
| 2017 | 34.4% | -10.2% |
| 2018 | 30.5% | -11.3% |
| 2019 | 26.6% | -12.8% |
| 2020 | 22.7% | -14.7% |
| 2021 | 18.8% | -17.2% |
| 2022 | 14.9% | -20.8% |
| 2023 | 11.0% | -26.2% |
| 2024 | 7.1% | -35.5% |
Cambodia compared with similar countries
- Cambodia's 7.1% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 11.0%, 65% of the median. (44 countries reporting)
- Cambodia's 7.1% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3.2%, 2.2× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Cambodia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | -35.5% | 11.0% | 7.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 83.0% | 65.5% | 100.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 44.1% | 26.6% | 61.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 14.9% | 7.1% | 22.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Cambodia
More reference data data for Cambodia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.6712 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.8536 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.73 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.8836 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 2.73 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 2.25 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 4.25 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 4.85 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 17.66 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 4.81 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Cambodia?
- Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Cambodia was 7.1% 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 Cambodia?
- The highest recorded value was 100.0% in 2000.
- What is the lowest open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas recorded in Cambodia?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.1% in 2024.
- How does Cambodia rank for open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas?
- Cambodia ranks 55th out of 175 countries with data for 2024.
- Is open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas rising or falling in Cambodia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 84.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Cambodia 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.