Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Peru

Peru: Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas was 7.2% in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
7.2%
Change on year
down 19.4%
World rank
52nd
of 175 countries
All-time high
49.0%
in 2000
All-time low
7.2%
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

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

10203040502000201220242000: 49 %2001: 47.2 %2002: 45.5 %2003: 43.8 %2004: 42 %2005: 40.3 %2006: 38.5 %2007: 36.8 %2008: 35.1 %2009: 33.3 %2010: 31.6 %2011: 29.8 %2012: 28.1 %2013: 26.4 %2014: 24.6 %2015: 22.9 %2016: 21.1 %2017: 19.4 %2018: 17.7 %2019: 15.9 %2020: 14.2 %2021: 12.5 %2022: 10.7 %2023: 9 %2024: 7.2 %

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Peru is 7.2%, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

That represents a change of down 19.4% on the previous year and down 70.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Peru peaked at 49.0% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 7.2%, in 2024.

That places Peru 52nd 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 41.1% 33.3% 49.0% 10
2010s 23.8% 15.9% 31.6% 10
2020s 10.7% 7.2% 14.2% 5

Countries ranked near Peru

  1. 49 Kenya 8.1% compare
  2. 50 Yemen 8.0% compare
  3. 51 Argentina 7.7% compare
  4. 53 Guinea 7.2% compare
  5. 54 Saint Lucia 7.1% compare
  6. 55 Cambodia 7.1% compare

See the full ranking of 175 places →

More reference data data for Peru

All data for Peru →

Frequently asked questions

What is open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Peru?
Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Peru was 7.2% 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 Peru?
The highest recorded value was 49.0% in 2000.
What is the lowest open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas recorded in Peru?
The lowest recorded value was 7.2% in 2024.
How does Peru rank for open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas?
Peru ranks 52nd out of 175 countries with data for 2024.
Is open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas rising or falling in Peru?
Over the last ten years it is down 70.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Peru 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.