Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Vanuatu
Vanuatu: Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas was 6.1% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Vanuatu, 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 Vanuatu is 6.1%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.
That represents a change of up 4.6% on the previous year and up 79.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Vanuatu peaked at 6.1% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.7%, in 2000.
That places Vanuatu 59th out of 175 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Vanuatu, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 0.7% | — |
| 2001 | 0.7% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.7% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.7% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.7% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 1.0% | +38.7% |
| 2006 | 1.2% | +27.9% |
| 2007 | 1.5% | +21.8% |
| 2008 | 1.8% | +17.9% |
| 2009 | 2.0% | +15.2% |
| 2010 | 2.3% | +13.2% |
| 2011 | 2.6% | +11.7% |
| 2012 | 2.8% | +10.4% |
| 2013 | 3.1% | +9.4% |
| 2014 | 3.4% | +8.6% |
| 2015 | 3.6% | +7.9% |
| 2016 | 3.9% | +7.4% |
| 2017 | 4.2% | +6.9% |
| 2018 | 4.5% | +6.4% |
| 2019 | 4.7% | +6.0% |
| 2020 | 5.0% | +5.7% |
| 2021 | 5.3% | +5.4% |
| 2022 | 5.5% | +5.1% |
| 2023 | 5.8% | +4.9% |
| 2024 | 6.1% | +4.6% |
Vanuatu compared with similar countries
- Vanuatu's 6.1% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 11.0%, 55% of the median. (44 countries reporting)
- Vanuatu's 6.1% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3.2%, 1.9× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Vanuatu changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | +38.7% | 0.7% | 1.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1.1% | 0.7% | 2.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.5% | 2.3% | 4.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.5% | 5.0% | 6.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Vanuatu
More reference data data for Vanuatu
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0174 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.0819 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.0994 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0001 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.0994 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0583 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.0658 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.4612 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.5857 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0003 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Vanuatu?
- Open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas in Vanuatu was 6.1% 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 Vanuatu?
- The highest recorded value was 6.1% in 2024.
- What is the lowest open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas recorded in Vanuatu?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.7% in 2000.
- How does Vanuatu rank for open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas?
- Vanuatu ranks 59th out of 175 countries with data for 2024.
- Is open defecation in rural areas vs. urban areas rising or falling in Vanuatu?
- Over the last ten years it is up 79.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Vanuatu 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.