Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Kiribati
Kiribati: Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas was 49.7% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Kiribati, 2000–2024
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Kiribati recorded 49.7% 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 8.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Kiribati peaked at 62.2% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 49.7%, in 2022.
That places Kiribati 12th out of 175 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Kiribati, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 62.2% | — |
| 2001 | 61.7% | -0.9% |
| 2002 | 61.1% | -0.9% |
| 2003 | 60.5% | -0.9% |
| 2004 | 60.0% | -0.9% |
| 2005 | 59.4% | -0.9% |
| 2006 | 58.8% | -1.0% |
| 2007 | 58.3% | -1.0% |
| 2008 | 57.7% | -1.0% |
| 2009 | 57.1% | -1.0% |
| 2010 | 56.6% | -1.0% |
| 2011 | 56.0% | -1.0% |
| 2012 | 55.4% | -1.0% |
| 2013 | 54.9% | -1.0% |
| 2014 | 54.3% | -1.0% |
| 2015 | 53.7% | -1.0% |
| 2016 | 53.2% | -1.1% |
| 2017 | 52.6% | -1.1% |
| 2018 | 52.0% | -1.1% |
| 2019 | 51.4% | -1.1% |
| 2020 | 50.9% | -1.1% |
| 2021 | 50.3% | -1.1% |
| 2022 | 49.7% | -1.1% |
| 2023 | 49.7% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 49.7% | +0.0% |
Kiribati compared with similar countries
- Kiribati's 49.7% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 11.0%, 4.5× the median. (44 countries reporting)
- Kiribati's 49.7% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3.2%, 15.3× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 59.7% | 57.1% | 62.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 54.0% | 51.4% | 56.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 50.1% | 49.7% | 50.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Kiribati
- 9 Liberia 57.5% compare
- 10 Namibia 53.5% compare
- 11 Togo 50.9% compare
- 13 Sao Tome and Principe 43.2% compare
- 14 Burkina Faso 42.3% compare
- 15 Central African Republic 38.8% compare
More reference data data for Kiribati
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.0059 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0058 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.0001 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - IPCC Agriculture 20.06 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CH4) - Enteric Fermentation 0.0269 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - Manure Management 11.66 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - IPCC Agriculture 12.42 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - Enteric 0.7542 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Manure applied to Soils 5.13 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Manure Management 13.95 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Kiribati?
- Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Kiribati was 49.7% 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 Kiribati?
- The highest recorded value was 62.2% in 2000.
- What is the lowest open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas recorded in Kiribati?
- The lowest recorded value was 49.7% in 2022.
- How does Kiribati rank for open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas?
- Kiribati ranks 12th out of 175 countries with data for 2024.
- Is open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas rising or falling in Kiribati?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Kiribati 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.