Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Panama
Panama: Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas was 9.8% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Panama, 2000–2024
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Panama recorded 9.8% for open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.5% on the previous year and down 26.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Panama peaked at 18.3% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 9.8%, in 2024.
Panama ranks 46th of 175 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 16.7% | 15.1% | 18.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 13.1% | 11.5% | 14.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.5% | 9.8% | 11.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Panama
More reference data data for Panama
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1446 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.6179 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.9793 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0285 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.9793 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.4849 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.2267 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.44 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 5.08 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1553 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Panama?
- Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Panama was 9.8% 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 Panama?
- The highest recorded value was 18.3% in 2000.
- What is the lowest open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas recorded in Panama?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.8% in 2024.
- How does Panama rank for open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas?
- Panama ranks 46th out of 175 countries with data for 2024.
- Is open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas rising or falling in Panama?
- Over the last ten years it is down 26.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Panama 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.