Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in East Timor
East Timor: Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas was 11.7% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in East Timor, 2002–2024
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in East Timor stood at 11.7%. That is the lowest value across all 23 years on record.
That represents a change of down 13.3% on the previous year and down 60.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in East Timor peaked at 51.3% in 2002 and was at its lowest, 11.7%, in 2024.
That places East Timor 40th out of 175 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 23 years of available data.
Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in East Timor, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 51.3% | — |
| 2003 | 49.5% | -3.5% |
| 2004 | 47.7% | -3.6% |
| 2005 | 45.9% | -3.8% |
| 2006 | 44.1% | -3.9% |
| 2007 | 42.3% | -4.1% |
| 2008 | 40.5% | -4.2% |
| 2009 | 38.7% | -4.4% |
| 2010 | 36.9% | -4.6% |
| 2011 | 35.1% | -4.9% |
| 2012 | 33.3% | -5.1% |
| 2013 | 31.5% | -5.4% |
| 2014 | 29.7% | -5.7% |
| 2015 | 27.9% | -6.0% |
| 2016 | 26.1% | -6.4% |
| 2017 | 24.3% | -6.9% |
| 2018 | 22.5% | -7.4% |
| 2019 | 20.7% | -8.0% |
| 2020 | 18.9% | -8.7% |
| 2021 | 17.1% | -9.5% |
| 2022 | 15.3% | -10.5% |
| 2023 | 13.5% | -11.7% |
| 2024 | 11.7% | -13.3% |
East Timor compared with similar countries
- East Timor's 11.7% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 11.0%, 1.1× the median. (44 countries reporting)
- East Timor's 11.7% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3.2%, 3.6× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 45.0% | 38.7% | 51.3% | 8 |
| 2010s | 28.8% | 20.7% | 36.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 15.3% | 11.7% | 18.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near East Timor
More reference data data for East Timor
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0468 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.0888 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.1475 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.012 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.1475 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1569 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.2854 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.4255 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.9426 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0652 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in East Timor?
- Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in East Timor was 11.7% 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 East Timor?
- The highest recorded value was 51.3% in 2002.
- What is the lowest open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas recorded in East Timor?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.7% in 2024.
- How does East Timor rank for open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas?
- East Timor ranks 40th out of 175 countries with data for 2024.
- Is open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas rising or falling in East Timor?
- Over the last ten years it is down 60.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this East Timor 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 — 23 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.