Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Somalia
Somalia: Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas was 26.4% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Somalia, 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 Somalia is 26.4%, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
That represents a change of down 8.3% on the previous year and down 47.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Somalia peaked at 83.5% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 26.4%, in 2024.
Somalia ranks 22nd of 175 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Somalia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 83.5% | — |
| 2001 | 81.1% | -2.8% |
| 2002 | 78.7% | -2.9% |
| 2003 | 76.3% | -3.0% |
| 2004 | 74.0% | -3.1% |
| 2005 | 71.6% | -3.2% |
| 2006 | 69.2% | -3.3% |
| 2007 | 66.8% | -3.4% |
| 2008 | 64.4% | -3.6% |
| 2009 | 62.1% | -3.7% |
| 2010 | 59.7% | -3.8% |
| 2011 | 57.3% | -4.0% |
| 2012 | 54.9% | -4.1% |
| 2013 | 52.6% | -4.3% |
| 2014 | 50.2% | -4.5% |
| 2015 | 47.8% | -4.7% |
| 2016 | 45.4% | -5.0% |
| 2017 | 43.0% | -5.2% |
| 2018 | 40.7% | -5.5% |
| 2019 | 38.3% | -5.8% |
| 2020 | 35.9% | -6.2% |
| 2021 | 33.5% | -6.6% |
| 2022 | 31.2% | -7.1% |
| 2023 | 28.8% | -7.6% |
| 2024 | 26.4% | -8.3% |
Somalia compared with similar countries
- Somalia's 26.4% is above the median for low income countries, which is 20.4%, 1.3× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Somalia's 26.4% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 19.7%, 1.3× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 72.8% | 62.1% | 83.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 49.0% | 38.3% | 59.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 31.2% | 26.4% | 35.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Somalia
More reference data data for Somalia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.2637 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 10.39 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 10.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0493 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 10.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.8842 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.3652 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 41.78 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 43.31 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.2685 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Somalia?
- Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Somalia was 26.4% 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 Somalia?
- The highest recorded value was 83.5% in 2000.
- What is the lowest open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas recorded in Somalia?
- The lowest recorded value was 26.4% in 2024.
- How does Somalia rank for open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas?
- Somalia ranks 22nd out of 175 countries with data for 2024.
- Is open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas rising or falling in Somalia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 47.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Somalia 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.