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
Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Peru, 2000–2024
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.
Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Peru, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 49.0% | — |
| 2001 | 47.2% | -3.6% |
| 2002 | 45.5% | -3.7% |
| 2003 | 43.8% | -3.8% |
| 2004 | 42.0% | -4.0% |
| 2005 | 40.3% | -4.1% |
| 2006 | 38.5% | -4.3% |
| 2007 | 36.8% | -4.5% |
| 2008 | 35.1% | -4.7% |
| 2009 | 33.3% | -5.0% |
| 2010 | 31.6% | -5.2% |
| 2011 | 29.8% | -5.5% |
| 2012 | 28.1% | -5.8% |
| 2013 | 26.4% | -6.2% |
| 2014 | 24.6% | -6.6% |
| 2015 | 22.9% | -7.1% |
| 2016 | 21.1% | -7.6% |
| 2017 | 19.4% | -8.2% |
| 2018 | 17.7% | -9.0% |
| 2019 | 15.9% | -9.8% |
| 2020 | 14.2% | -10.9% |
| 2021 | 12.5% | -12.3% |
| 2022 | 10.7% | -14.0% |
| 2023 | 9.0% | -16.2% |
| 2024 | 7.2% | -19.4% |
Peru compared with similar countries
- Peru's 7.2% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.3%, 27.1× the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Peru's 7.2% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 1.4%, 5.2× the median. (27 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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
More reference data data for Peru
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.15 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 4.39 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 7.94 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.3808 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 7.94 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.84 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.94 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 18.98 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 35.25 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.07 (2050)
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
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.