Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Colombia
Colombia: Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas was 9.9% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Colombia, 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 Colombia stood at 9.9%. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
The figure is down 6.4% on the previous year and down 40.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Colombia peaked at 26.2% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 9.9%, in 2024.
That places Colombia 45th out of 175 countries with data for 2024, putting it 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 Colombia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 26.2% | — |
| 2001 | 25.5% | -2.6% |
| 2002 | 24.8% | -2.7% |
| 2003 | 24.1% | -2.7% |
| 2004 | 23.5% | -2.8% |
| 2005 | 22.8% | -2.9% |
| 2006 | 22.1% | -3.0% |
| 2007 | 21.4% | -3.1% |
| 2008 | 20.7% | -3.2% |
| 2009 | 20.1% | -3.3% |
| 2010 | 19.4% | -3.4% |
| 2011 | 18.7% | -3.5% |
| 2012 | 18.0% | -3.6% |
| 2013 | 17.4% | -3.8% |
| 2014 | 16.7% | -3.9% |
| 2015 | 16.0% | -4.1% |
| 2016 | 15.3% | -4.2% |
| 2017 | 14.6% | -4.4% |
| 2018 | 14.0% | -4.6% |
| 2019 | 13.3% | -4.9% |
| 2020 | 12.6% | -5.1% |
| 2021 | 11.9% | -5.4% |
| 2022 | 11.3% | -5.7% |
| 2023 | 10.6% | -6.0% |
| 2024 | 9.9% | -6.4% |
Colombia compared with similar countries
- Colombia's 9.9% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.3%, 37.1× the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Colombia's 9.9% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 1.4%, 7.1× the median. (27 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 23.1% | 20.1% | 26.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.3% | 13.3% | 19.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.3% | 9.9% | 12.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Colombia
More reference data data for Colombia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 2.92 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 11.17 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 19.02 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.4113 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 19.02 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 9.81 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 2.67 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 61.25 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 94.56 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.24 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Colombia?
- Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Colombia was 9.9% 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 Colombia?
- The highest recorded value was 26.2% in 2000.
- What is the lowest open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas recorded in Colombia?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.9% in 2024.
- How does Colombia rank for open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas?
- Colombia ranks 45th out of 175 countries with data for 2024.
- Is open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas rising or falling in Colombia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 40.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Colombia 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.