Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Laos
Laos: Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas was 14.3% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Laos, 2000–2024
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Laos recorded 14.3% for open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 14.7% on the previous year and down 63.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Laos peaked at 72.8% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 14.3%, in 2024.
That places Laos 36th 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.
Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Laos, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 72.8% | — |
| 2001 | 70.4% | -3.3% |
| 2002 | 68.0% | -3.5% |
| 2003 | 65.5% | -3.6% |
| 2004 | 63.1% | -3.7% |
| 2005 | 60.6% | -3.9% |
| 2006 | 58.2% | -4.0% |
| 2007 | 55.8% | -4.2% |
| 2008 | 53.3% | -4.4% |
| 2009 | 50.9% | -4.6% |
| 2010 | 48.5% | -4.8% |
| 2011 | 46.0% | -5.0% |
| 2012 | 43.6% | -5.3% |
| 2013 | 41.1% | -5.6% |
| 2014 | 38.7% | -5.9% |
| 2015 | 36.3% | -6.3% |
| 2016 | 33.8% | -6.7% |
| 2017 | 31.4% | -7.2% |
| 2018 | 28.9% | -7.8% |
| 2019 | 26.5% | -8.4% |
| 2020 | 24.1% | -9.2% |
| 2021 | 21.6% | -10.1% |
| 2022 | 19.2% | -11.3% |
| 2023 | 16.8% | -12.7% |
| 2024 | 14.3% | -14.7% |
Laos compared with similar countries
- Laos's 14.3% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 11.0%, 1.3× the median. (44 countries reporting)
- Laos's 14.3% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3.2%, 4.4× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 61.9% | 50.9% | 72.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 37.5% | 26.5% | 48.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.2% | 14.3% | 24.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Laos
- 33 Papua New Guinea 17.3% compare
- 34 Botswana 16.7% compare
- 35 Afghanistan 15.4% compare
- 37 Guinea-Bissau 14.2% compare
- 38 Mongolia 13.7% compare
- 39 Pakistan 13.0% compare
More reference data data for Laos
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.6615 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.913 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.88 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.3021 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.88 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 2.22 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 3.96 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 5.07 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 12.95 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.64 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Laos?
- Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Laos was 14.3% 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 Laos?
- The highest recorded value was 72.8% in 2000.
- What is the lowest open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas recorded in Laos?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.3% in 2024.
- How does Laos rank for open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas?
- Laos ranks 36th out of 175 countries with data for 2024.
- Is open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas rising or falling in Laos?
- Over the last ten years it is down 63.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Laos 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.