Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Philippines
Philippines: Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas was 3.2% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Philippines, 2000–2024
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Philippines recorded 3.2% 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 13.9% on the previous year and down 61.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Philippines peaked at 15.3% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 3.2%, in 2024.
That places Philippines 66th 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 Philippines, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 15.3% | — |
| 2001 | 15.3% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 14.8% | -3.4% |
| 2003 | 14.3% | -3.5% |
| 2004 | 13.8% | -3.7% |
| 2005 | 13.2% | -3.8% |
| 2006 | 12.7% | -4.0% |
| 2007 | 12.2% | -4.1% |
| 2008 | 11.7% | -4.3% |
| 2009 | 11.1% | -4.5% |
| 2010 | 10.6% | -4.7% |
| 2011 | 10.1% | -5.0% |
| 2012 | 9.6% | -5.2% |
| 2013 | 9.0% | -5.5% |
| 2014 | 8.5% | -5.8% |
| 2015 | 8.0% | -6.2% |
| 2016 | 7.5% | -6.6% |
| 2017 | 6.9% | -7.1% |
| 2018 | 6.4% | -7.6% |
| 2019 | 5.9% | -8.2% |
| 2020 | 5.4% | -8.9% |
| 2021 | 4.8% | -9.8% |
| 2022 | 4.3% | -10.9% |
| 2023 | 3.8% | -12.2% |
| 2024 | 3.2% | -13.9% |
Philippines compared with similar countries
- Philippines's 3.2% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.3%, 12.2× the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Philippines's 3.2% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3.2%, 1.0× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 13.5% | 11.1% | 15.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.2% | 5.9% | 10.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.3% | 3.2% | 5.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Philippines
More reference data data for Philippines
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 2.21 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 2.95 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 12.86 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.43 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 12.86 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 7.4 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 10.7 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 15.23 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 67.05 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 7.76 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Philippines?
- Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Philippines was 3.2% 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 Philippines?
- The highest recorded value was 15.3% in 2000.
- What is the lowest open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas recorded in Philippines?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.2% in 2024.
- How does Philippines rank for open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas?
- Philippines ranks 66th out of 175 countries with data for 2024.
- Is open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas rising or falling in Philippines?
- Over the last ten years it is down 61.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Philippines 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.