Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Eritrea
Eritrea: Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas was 88.7% in 2016. ▼ Falling
Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Eritrea, 2000–2016
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.
Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Eritrea, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 98.0% | — |
| 2001 | 97.2% | -0.8% |
| 2002 | 96.4% | -0.8% |
| 2003 | 95.6% | -0.8% |
| 2004 | 94.8% | -0.8% |
| 2005 | 94.1% | -0.8% |
| 2006 | 93.3% | -0.8% |
| 2007 | 92.5% | -0.8% |
| 2008 | 91.8% | -0.8% |
| 2009 | 91.0% | -0.8% |
| 2010 | 90.2% | -0.9% |
| 2011 | 89.4% | -0.9% |
| 2012 | 88.7% | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 88.7% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 88.7% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 88.7% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 88.7% | +0.0% |
Eritrea compared with similar countries
- Eritrea's 88.7% is above the median for low income countries, which is 20.4%, 4.3× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Eritrea's 88.7% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 19.7%, 4.5× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 94.5% | 91.0% | 98.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 89.0% | 88.7% | 90.2% | 7 |
Countries ranked near Eritrea
More reference data data for Eritrea
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0531 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.46 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.57 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0485 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.57 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1781 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.073 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 6.8 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 7.36 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.2642 (2050)
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
CSV · JSON — 17 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.