Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Niger
Niger: Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas was 78.1% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Niger, 2000–2024
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Niger stood at 78.1%. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
The figure is down 0.8% on the previous year and down 7.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Niger peaked at 92.4% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 78.1%, in 2024.
Niger ranks 2nd of 175 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Niger, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 92.4% | — |
| 2001 | 91.8% | -0.6% |
| 2002 | 91.2% | -0.7% |
| 2003 | 90.6% | -0.7% |
| 2004 | 90.0% | -0.7% |
| 2005 | 89.4% | -0.7% |
| 2006 | 88.8% | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 88.2% | -0.7% |
| 2008 | 87.6% | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 87.0% | -0.7% |
| 2010 | 86.4% | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 85.8% | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 85.2% | -0.7% |
| 2013 | 84.6% | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 84.0% | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 83.4% | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 82.8% | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 82.2% | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 81.7% | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 81.1% | -0.7% |
| 2020 | 80.5% | -0.7% |
| 2021 | 79.9% | -0.7% |
| 2022 | 79.3% | -0.7% |
| 2023 | 78.7% | -0.8% |
| 2024 | 78.1% | -0.8% |
Niger compared with similar countries
- Niger's 78.1% is above the median for low income countries, which is 20.4%, 3.8× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Niger's 78.1% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 19.7%, 4.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 89.7% | 87.0% | 92.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 83.7% | 81.1% | 86.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 79.3% | 78.1% | 80.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Niger
More reference data data for Niger
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.2425 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 8.66 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 9.7 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.57 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 9.7 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.8132 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.3983 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 37.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 42.83 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 3.1 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Niger?
- Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Niger was 78.1% 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 Niger?
- The highest recorded value was 92.4% in 2000.
- What is the lowest open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas recorded in Niger?
- The lowest recorded value was 78.1% in 2024.
- How does Niger rank for open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas?
- Niger ranks 2nd out of 175 countries with data for 2024.
- Is open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas rising or falling in Niger?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Niger 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.