Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Ecuador
Ecuador: Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas was 4.9% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Ecuador, 2000–2024
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Ecuador recorded 4.9% 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 13.7% on the previous year and down 61.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Ecuador peaked at 23.5% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 4.9%, in 2024.
That places Ecuador 61st 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 Ecuador, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 23.5% | — |
| 2001 | 22.7% | -3.3% |
| 2002 | 21.9% | -3.4% |
| 2003 | 21.1% | -3.5% |
| 2004 | 20.4% | -3.7% |
| 2005 | 19.6% | -3.8% |
| 2006 | 18.8% | -3.9% |
| 2007 | 18.0% | -4.1% |
| 2008 | 17.3% | -4.3% |
| 2009 | 16.5% | -4.5% |
| 2010 | 15.7% | -4.7% |
| 2011 | 15.0% | -4.9% |
| 2012 | 14.2% | -5.2% |
| 2013 | 13.4% | -5.5% |
| 2014 | 12.6% | -5.8% |
| 2015 | 11.9% | -6.1% |
| 2016 | 11.1% | -6.5% |
| 2017 | 10.3% | -7.0% |
| 2018 | 9.5% | -7.5% |
| 2019 | 8.8% | -8.1% |
| 2020 | 8.0% | -8.8% |
| 2021 | 7.2% | -9.7% |
| 2022 | 6.4% | -10.7% |
| 2023 | 5.7% | -12.0% |
| 2024 | 4.9% | -13.7% |
Ecuador compared with similar countries
- Ecuador's 4.9% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.3%, 18.3× the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Ecuador's 4.9% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 1.4%, 3.5× the median. (27 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 20.0% | 16.5% | 23.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.2% | 8.8% | 15.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.4% | 4.9% | 8.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Ecuador
More reference data data for Ecuador
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.9379 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 2.51 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 4.74 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1826 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 4.74 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.14 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.18 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 13.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 23.57 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.9943 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Ecuador?
- Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Ecuador was 4.9% 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 Ecuador?
- The highest recorded value was 23.5% in 2000.
- What is the lowest open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas recorded in Ecuador?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.9% in 2024.
- How does Ecuador rank for open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas?
- Ecuador ranks 61st out of 175 countries with data for 2024.
- Is open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas rising or falling in Ecuador?
- Over the last ten years it is down 61.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ecuador 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.