Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Cuba
Cuba: Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas was 0.5% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Cuba, 2000–2024
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 Cuba is 0.5%, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 74.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Cuba peaked at 4.4% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 0.5%, in 2021.
Cuba ranks 86th of 175 countries on this measure, 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 Cuba, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 4.4% | — |
| 2001 | 4.2% | -4.3% |
| 2002 | 4.0% | -4.5% |
| 2003 | 3.9% | -4.7% |
| 2004 | 3.7% | -4.9% |
| 2005 | 3.5% | -5.2% |
| 2006 | 3.3% | -5.4% |
| 2007 | 3.1% | -5.7% |
| 2008 | 2.9% | -6.1% |
| 2009 | 2.7% | -6.5% |
| 2010 | 2.5% | -6.9% |
| 2011 | 2.3% | -7.5% |
| 2012 | 2.2% | -8.1% |
| 2013 | 2.0% | -8.8% |
| 2014 | 1.8% | -9.6% |
| 2015 | 1.6% | -10.6% |
| 2016 | 1.4% | -11.9% |
| 2017 | 1.2% | -13.5% |
| 2018 | 1.0% | -15.6% |
| 2019 | 0.8% | -18.5% |
| 2020 | 0.6% | -22.8% |
| 2021 | 0.5% | -29.5% |
| 2022 | 0.5% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 0.5% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 0.5% | +0.0% |
Cuba compared with similar countries
- Cuba's 0.5% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.3%, 1.7× the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Cuba's 0.5% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 1.4%, 32% of the median. (27 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Cuba 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | -29.5% | 0.6% | 0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 3.6% | 2.7% | 4.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.7% | 0.8% | 2.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Cuba
More reference data data for Cuba
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.529 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.78 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.8 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0696 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 2.8 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.77 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.9214 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 9.19 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 14 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.3791 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Cuba?
- Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Cuba was 0.5% 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 Cuba?
- The highest recorded value was 4.4% in 2000.
- What is the lowest open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas recorded in Cuba?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.5% in 2021.
- How does Cuba rank for open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas?
- Cuba ranks 86th out of 175 countries with data for 2024.
- Is open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas rising or falling in Cuba?
- Over the last ten years it is down 74.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Cuba 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.