Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in India
India: Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas was 10.7% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in India, 2000–2024
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
India recorded 10.7% 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 23.9% on the previous year and down 76.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in India peaked at 91.4% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 10.7%, in 2024.
That places India 42nd out of 175 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 76.3% | 61.2% | 91.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 42.7% | 27.6% | 57.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.4% | 10.7% | 24.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near India
More reference data data for India
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 68.88 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 246.78 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 15.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 20.88 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 246.78 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Direct emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 240.17 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - IPCC Agriculture 882,354 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Enteric Fermentation 457,538 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Crop Residues 22,533 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - Burning - Crop re 719.34 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in India?
- Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in India was 10.7% 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 India?
- The highest recorded value was 91.4% in 2000.
- What is the lowest open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.7% in 2024.
- How does India rank for open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas?
- India ranks 42nd out of 175 countries with data for 2024.
- Is open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is down 76.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this India 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.