Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Haiti
Haiti: Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas was 31.5% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Haiti, 2000–2023
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Haiti stood at 31.5%. That is the lowest value across all 24 years on record.
That represents a change of down 17.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Haiti peaked at 51.9% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 31.5%, in 2019.
Haiti ranks 18th of 175 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Haiti, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 51.9% | — |
| 2001 | 50.8% | -2.1% |
| 2002 | 49.7% | -2.1% |
| 2003 | 48.7% | -2.2% |
| 2004 | 47.6% | -2.2% |
| 2005 | 46.5% | -2.3% |
| 2006 | 45.4% | -2.3% |
| 2007 | 44.4% | -2.4% |
| 2008 | 43.3% | -2.4% |
| 2009 | 42.2% | -2.5% |
| 2010 | 41.1% | -2.5% |
| 2011 | 40.1% | -2.6% |
| 2012 | 39.0% | -2.7% |
| 2013 | 37.9% | -2.8% |
| 2014 | 36.8% | -2.8% |
| 2015 | 35.8% | -2.9% |
| 2016 | 34.7% | -3.0% |
| 2017 | 33.6% | -3.1% |
| 2018 | 32.5% | -3.2% |
| 2019 | 31.5% | -3.3% |
| 2020 | 31.5% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 31.5% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 31.5% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 31.5% | +0.0% |
Haiti compared with similar countries
- Haiti's 31.5% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 11.0%, 2.9× the median. (44 countries reporting)
- Haiti's 31.5% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 1.4%, 22.5× the median. (27 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 47.0% | 42.2% | 51.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 36.3% | 31.5% | 41.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 31.5% | 31.5% | 31.5% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Haiti
- 15 Central African Republic 38.8% compare
- 16 Madagascar 36.5% compare
- 17 Mauritania 36.3% compare
- 19 Nigeria 31.2% compare
- 20 Cote d'Ivoire 31.0% compare
- 21 Ghana 30.8% compare
More reference data data for Haiti
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.2934 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.01 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.35 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0485 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.35 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.9837 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.6522 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 4.73 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 6.65 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.2643 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Haiti?
- Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Haiti was 31.5% in 2023, 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 Haiti?
- The highest recorded value was 51.9% in 2000.
- What is the lowest open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas recorded in Haiti?
- The lowest recorded value was 31.5% in 2019.
- How does Haiti rank for open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas?
- Haiti ranks 18th out of 175 countries with data for 2023.
- Is open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas rising or falling in Haiti?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Haiti 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 — 24 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.