Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Mali
Mali: Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas was 6.1% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Mali, 2000–2024
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.
Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Mali, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 25.8% | — |
| 2001 | 25.0% | -3.2% |
| 2002 | 24.2% | -3.3% |
| 2003 | 23.4% | -3.4% |
| 2004 | 22.5% | -3.5% |
| 2005 | 21.7% | -3.6% |
| 2006 | 20.9% | -3.8% |
| 2007 | 20.1% | -3.9% |
| 2008 | 19.2% | -4.1% |
| 2009 | 18.4% | -4.3% |
| 2010 | 17.6% | -4.5% |
| 2011 | 16.8% | -4.7% |
| 2012 | 16.0% | -4.9% |
| 2013 | 15.1% | -5.1% |
| 2014 | 14.3% | -5.4% |
| 2015 | 13.5% | -5.7% |
| 2016 | 12.7% | -6.1% |
| 2017 | 11.9% | -6.5% |
| 2018 | 11.0% | -6.9% |
| 2019 | 10.2% | -7.4% |
| 2020 | 9.4% | -8.0% |
| 2021 | 8.6% | -8.8% |
| 2022 | 7.7% | -9.6% |
| 2023 | 6.9% | -10.6% |
| 2024 | 6.1% | -11.9% |
Mali compared with similar countries
- Mali's 6.1% is below the median for low income countries, which is 20.4%, 30% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Mali's 6.1% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 19.7%, 31% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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
More reference data data for Mali
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.3081 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 9.25 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 11.03 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.4025 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 11.03 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.03 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.4728 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 39.47 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 47.61 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.19 (2050)
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 · 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.