Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Cameroon
Cameroon: Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas was 9.7% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Cameroon, 2000–2024
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Cameroon recorded 9.7% 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 2.0% on the previous year and down 16.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Cameroon peaked at 14.4% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 9.7%, in 2024.
Cameroon ranks 47th 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 Cameroon, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 14.4% | — |
| 2001 | 14.2% | -1.4% |
| 2002 | 14.0% | -1.4% |
| 2003 | 13.8% | -1.4% |
| 2004 | 13.6% | -1.4% |
| 2005 | 13.4% | -1.4% |
| 2006 | 13.2% | -1.5% |
| 2007 | 13.0% | -1.5% |
| 2008 | 12.8% | -1.5% |
| 2009 | 12.6% | -1.5% |
| 2010 | 12.4% | -1.5% |
| 2011 | 12.2% | -1.6% |
| 2012 | 12.1% | -1.6% |
| 2013 | 11.9% | -1.6% |
| 2014 | 11.7% | -1.6% |
| 2015 | 11.5% | -1.7% |
| 2016 | 11.3% | -1.7% |
| 2017 | 11.1% | -1.7% |
| 2018 | 10.9% | -1.8% |
| 2019 | 10.7% | -1.8% |
| 2020 | 10.5% | -1.8% |
| 2021 | 10.3% | -1.9% |
| 2022 | 10.1% | -1.9% |
| 2023 | 9.9% | -1.9% |
| 2024 | 9.7% | -2.0% |
Cameroon compared with similar countries
- Cameroon's 9.7% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 11.0%, 89% of the median. (44 countries reporting)
- Cameroon's 9.7% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 19.7%, 49% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 13.5% | 12.6% | 14.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.6% | 10.7% | 12.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.1% | 9.7% | 10.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Cameroon
More reference data data for Cameroon
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.4076 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.49 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 4.56 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.199 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 4.56 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.54 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 17.29 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 23.23 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.08 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Cameroon?
- Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Cameroon was 9.7% 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 Cameroon?
- The highest recorded value was 14.4% in 2000.
- What is the lowest open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas recorded in Cameroon?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.7% in 2024.
- How does Cameroon rank for open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas?
- Cameroon ranks 47th out of 175 countries with data for 2024.
- Is open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas rising or falling in Cameroon?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Cameroon 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.