Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Sudan
Sudan: Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas was 24.1% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Sudan, 2000–2024
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Sudan recorded 24.1% for open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
The figure is down 7.2% on the previous year and down 43.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Sudan peaked at 61.8% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 24.1%, in 2024.
That places Sudan 25th out of 175 countries with data for 2024, putting it 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 Sudan, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 61.8% | — |
| 2001 | 61.8% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 61.8% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 61.8% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 61.8% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 59.9% | -3.0% |
| 2006 | 58.0% | -3.1% |
| 2007 | 56.1% | -3.2% |
| 2008 | 54.3% | -3.4% |
| 2009 | 52.4% | -3.5% |
| 2010 | 50.5% | -3.6% |
| 2011 | 48.6% | -3.7% |
| 2012 | 46.7% | -3.9% |
| 2013 | 44.8% | -4.0% |
| 2014 | 43.0% | -4.2% |
| 2015 | 41.1% | -4.4% |
| 2016 | 39.2% | -4.6% |
| 2017 | 37.3% | -4.8% |
| 2018 | 35.4% | -5.0% |
| 2019 | 33.5% | -5.3% |
| 2020 | 31.7% | -5.6% |
| 2021 | 29.8% | -5.9% |
| 2022 | 27.9% | -6.3% |
| 2023 | 26.0% | -6.7% |
| 2024 | 24.1% | -7.2% |
Sudan compared with similar countries
- Sudan's 24.1% is above the median for low income countries, which is 20.4%, 1.2× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Sudan's 24.1% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 19.7%, 1.2× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 59.0% | 52.4% | 61.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 42.0% | 33.5% | 50.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 27.9% | 24.1% | 31.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sudan
More reference data data for Sudan
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.5846 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 17.81 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 19.69 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.4356 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 19.69 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.96 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.8148 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 80.68 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 93.88 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.37 (2019)
Frequently asked questions
- What is open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Sudan?
- Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Sudan was 24.1% 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 Sudan?
- The highest recorded value was 61.8% in 2000.
- What is the lowest open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas recorded in Sudan?
- The lowest recorded value was 24.1% in 2024.
- How does Sudan rank for open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas?
- Sudan ranks 25th out of 175 countries with data for 2024.
- Is open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas rising or falling in Sudan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 43.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sudan 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.