Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Malaysia
Malaysia: Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas was 1.1% in 2016. ▼ Falling
Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Malaysia, 2000–2016
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Malaysia recorded 1.1% for open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in 2016. That is the lowest value across all 17 years on record.
That represents a change of down 50.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Malaysia peaked at 3.5% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 1.1%, in 2012.
That places Malaysia 80th out of 175 countries with data for 2016, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 17 years of available data.
Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 3.5% | — |
| 2001 | 3.3% | -5.6% |
| 2002 | 3.1% | -6.0% |
| 2003 | 2.9% | -6.3% |
| 2004 | 2.7% | -6.8% |
| 2005 | 2.5% | -7.3% |
| 2006 | 2.3% | -7.8% |
| 2007 | 2.1% | -8.5% |
| 2008 | 1.9% | -9.3% |
| 2009 | 1.7% | -10.2% |
| 2010 | 1.5% | -11.4% |
| 2011 | 1.3% | -12.8% |
| 2012 | 1.1% | -14.7% |
| 2013 | 1.1% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 1.1% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 1.1% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 1.1% | +0.0% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 1.1% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.3%, 4.2× the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 1.1% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3.2%, 35% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 2.6% | 1.7% | 3.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.2% | 1.1% | 1.5% | 7 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
More reference data data for Malaysia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.7102 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.5869 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 4.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1487 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 4.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 2.38 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.64 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.29 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 21.1 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.8098 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Malaysia?
- Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Malaysia was 1.1% in 2016, 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 Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 3.5% in 2000.
- What is the lowest open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.1% in 2012.
- How does Malaysia rank for open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas?
- Malaysia ranks 80th out of 175 countries with data for 2016.
- Is open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 50.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malaysia 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 — 17 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.