Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Mongolia

Mongolia: Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas was 13.7% in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
13.7%
Change on year
down 8.5%
World rank
38th
of 175 countries
All-time high
44.2%
in 2000
All-time low
13.7%
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

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

102030402000201220242000: 44.2 %2001: 42.9 %2002: 41.6 %2003: 40.4 %2004: 39.1 %2005: 37.8 %2006: 36.6 %2007: 35.3 %2008: 34 %2009: 32.8 %2010: 31.5 %2011: 30.2 %2012: 28.9 %2013: 27.7 %2014: 26.4 %2015: 25.1 %2016: 23.9 %2017: 22.6 %2018: 21.3 %2019: 20 %2020: 18.8 %2021: 17.5 %2022: 16.2 %2023: 15 %2024: 13.7 %

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

Analysis

Mongolia recorded 13.7% 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 8.5% on the previous year and down 48.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Mongolia peaked at 44.2% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 13.7%, in 2024.

That places Mongolia 38th 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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 38.5% 32.8% 44.2% 10
2010s 25.8% 20.0% 31.5% 10
2020s 16.2% 13.7% 18.8% 5

Countries ranked near Mongolia

  1. 35 Afghanistan 15.4% compare
  2. 36 Laos 14.3% compare
  3. 37 Guinea-Bissau 14.2% compare
  4. 39 Pakistan 13.0% compare
  5. 40 East Timor 11.7% compare
  6. 41 Senegal 11.3% compare

See the full ranking of 175 places →

More reference data data for Mongolia

All data for Mongolia →

Frequently asked questions

What is open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Mongolia?
Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Mongolia was 13.7% 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 Mongolia?
The highest recorded value was 44.2% in 2000.
What is the lowest open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas recorded in Mongolia?
The lowest recorded value was 13.7% in 2024.
How does Mongolia rank for open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas?
Mongolia ranks 38th out of 175 countries with data for 2024.
Is open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas rising or falling in Mongolia?
Over the last ten years it is down 48.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Mongolia 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

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.