Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Kenya
Kenya: Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas was 8.1% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Kenya, 2000–2024
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Kenya recorded 8.1% 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 5.9% on the previous year and down 38.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Kenya peaked at 20.4% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 8.1%, in 2024.
Kenya ranks 49th of 175 countries on this measure, 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 Kenya, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 20.4% | — |
| 2001 | 19.9% | -2.5% |
| 2002 | 19.4% | -2.6% |
| 2003 | 18.9% | -2.6% |
| 2004 | 18.4% | -2.7% |
| 2005 | 17.9% | -2.8% |
| 2006 | 17.4% | -2.9% |
| 2007 | 16.8% | -3.0% |
| 2008 | 16.3% | -3.0% |
| 2009 | 15.8% | -3.1% |
| 2010 | 15.3% | -3.2% |
| 2011 | 14.8% | -3.3% |
| 2012 | 14.3% | -3.5% |
| 2013 | 13.8% | -3.6% |
| 2014 | 13.3% | -3.7% |
| 2015 | 12.7% | -3.9% |
| 2016 | 12.2% | -4.0% |
| 2017 | 11.7% | -4.2% |
| 2018 | 11.2% | -4.4% |
| 2019 | 10.7% | -4.6% |
| 2020 | 10.2% | -4.8% |
| 2021 | 9.7% | -5.0% |
| 2022 | 9.2% | -5.3% |
| 2023 | 8.6% | -5.6% |
| 2024 | 8.1% | -5.9% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 8.1% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 11.0%, 74% of the median. (44 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 8.1% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 19.7%, 41% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 18.1% | 15.8% | 20.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 13.0% | 10.7% | 15.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.2% | 8.1% | 10.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
More reference data data for Kenya
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.5379 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 12.22 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 14.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.377 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 14.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.8 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.1 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 58.05 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 68.95 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.05 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Kenya?
- Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Kenya was 8.1% 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 Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 20.4% in 2000.
- What is the lowest open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.1% in 2024.
- How does Kenya rank for open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas?
- Kenya ranks 49th out of 175 countries with data for 2024.
- Is open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is down 38.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Kenya 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.