Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Tuvalu
Tuvalu: Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas was 2.2% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Tuvalu, 2000–2024
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Tuvalu recorded 2.2% 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 17.6% on the previous year and down 68.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Tuvalu peaked at 11.9% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 2.2%, in 2024.
Tuvalu ranks 73rd of 175 countries on this measure, 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 Tuvalu, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 11.9% | — |
| 2001 | 11.9% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 11.9% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 11.9% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 11.4% | -3.9% |
| 2005 | 11.0% | -4.1% |
| 2006 | 10.5% | -4.2% |
| 2007 | 10.0% | -4.4% |
| 2008 | 9.6% | -4.6% |
| 2009 | 9.1% | -4.8% |
| 2010 | 8.7% | -5.1% |
| 2011 | 8.2% | -5.4% |
| 2012 | 7.7% | -5.7% |
| 2013 | 7.3% | -6.0% |
| 2014 | 6.8% | -6.4% |
| 2015 | 6.3% | -6.8% |
| 2016 | 5.9% | -7.3% |
| 2017 | 5.4% | -7.9% |
| 2018 | 4.9% | -8.6% |
| 2019 | 4.5% | -9.4% |
| 2020 | 4.0% | -10.3% |
| 2021 | 3.6% | -11.5% |
| 2022 | 3.1% | -13.0% |
| 2023 | 2.6% | -15.0% |
| 2024 | 2.2% | -17.6% |
Tuvalu compared with similar countries
- Tuvalu's 2.2% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.3%, 8.1× the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Tuvalu's 2.2% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3.2%, 67% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 10.9% | 9.1% | 11.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.6% | 4.5% | 8.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.1% | 2.2% | 4.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Tuvalu
More reference data data for Tuvalu
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - Enteric 0.8166 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0016 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Manure applied to Soils 1.45 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Manure left on Pasture 0.0202 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CH4) - Enteric Fermentation 0.0292 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CH4) - Manure Management 0.4146 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CH4) - IPCC Agriculture 0.4437 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Manure Management 12.65 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - IPCC Agriculture 12.42 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Tuvalu?
- Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Tuvalu was 2.2% 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 Tuvalu?
- The highest recorded value was 11.9% in 2000.
- What is the lowest open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas recorded in Tuvalu?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.2% in 2024.
- How does Tuvalu rank for open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas?
- Tuvalu ranks 73rd out of 175 countries with data for 2024.
- Is open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas rising or falling in Tuvalu?
- Over the last ten years it is down 68.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Tuvalu 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.