Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Eritrea

Eritrea: Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas was 88.7% in 2016. β–Ό Falling

Latest (2016)
88.7%
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
1st
of 175 countries
All-time high
98.0%
in 2000
All-time low
88.7%
in 2012
Years of data
17
2000–2016

Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Eritrea, 2000–2016

0204060801002000200820162000: 98 %2001: 97.2 %2002: 96.4 %2003: 95.6 %2004: 94.8 %2005: 94.1 %2006: 93.3 %2007: 92.5 %2008: 91.8 %2009: 91 %2010: 90.2 %2011: 89.4 %2012: 88.7 %2013: 88.7 %2014: 88.7 %2015: 88.7 %2016: 88.7 %

Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

Eritrea recorded 88.7% for open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in 2016. That is the lowest value across all 17 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 5.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Eritrea peaked at 98.0% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 88.7%, in 2012.

Eritrea ranks 1st of 175 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 17 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 94.5% 91.0% 98.0% 10
2010s 89.0% 88.7% 90.2% 7

Countries ranked near Eritrea

  1. 2 Niger 78.1% compare
  2. 3 Chad 77.6% compare
  3. 4 South Sudan 75.4% compare

See the full ranking of 175 places β†’

More reference data data for Eritrea

All data for Eritrea β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Eritrea?
Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Eritrea was 88.7% in 2016, 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 Eritrea?
The highest recorded value was 98.0% in 2000.
What is the lowest open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas recorded in Eritrea?
The lowest recorded value was 88.7% in 2012.
How does Eritrea rank for open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas?
Eritrea ranks 1st out of 175 countries with data for 2016.
Is open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas rising or falling in Eritrea?
Over the last ten years it is down 5.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Eritrea 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

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About this data

Indicator
Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas
Unit
%
Source
WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
175 places, 4,232 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed

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.