Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Mali

Mali: Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas was 6.1% in 2024. β–Ό Falling

Latest (2024)
6.1%
Change on year
down 11.9%
World rank
58th
of 175 countries
All-time high
25.8%
in 2000
All-time low
6.1%
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Mali, 2000–2024

5101520252000201220242000: 25.8 %2001: 25 %2002: 24.2 %2003: 23.4 %2004: 22.5 %2005: 21.7 %2006: 20.9 %2007: 20.1 %2008: 19.2 %2009: 18.4 %2010: 17.6 %2011: 16.8 %2012: 16 %2013: 15.1 %2014: 14.3 %2015: 13.5 %2016: 12.7 %2017: 11.9 %2018: 11 %2019: 10.2 %2020: 9.4 %2021: 8.6 %2022: 7.7 %2023: 6.9 %2024: 6.1 %

Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

Mali recorded 6.1% 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 11.9% on the previous year and down 57.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Mali peaked at 25.8% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 6.1%, in 2024.

That places Mali 58th out of 175 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 22.1% 18.4% 25.8% 10
2010s 13.9% 10.2% 17.6% 10
2020s 7.7% 6.1% 9.4% 5

Countries ranked near Mali

  1. 55 Cambodia 7.1% compare
  2. 56 Honduras 7.0% compare
  3. 57 Wallis and Futuna 6.9% compare
  4. 59 Vanuatu 6.1% compare
  5. 60 Dominican Republic 5.1% compare
  6. 61 Ecuador 4.9% compare

See the full ranking of 175 places β†’

More reference data data for Mali

All data for Mali β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Mali?
Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Mali was 6.1% 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 Mali?
The highest recorded value was 25.8% in 2000.
What is the lowest open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas recorded in Mali?
The lowest recorded value was 6.1% in 2024.
How does Mali rank for open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas?
Mali ranks 58th out of 175 countries with data for 2024.
Is open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas rising or falling in Mali?
Over the last ten years it is down 57.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Mali 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 Β· JSON β€” 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas
Unit
%
Source
WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
175 places, 4,232 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed

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.