People in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities, per square kilometre by country
People in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
Countries reporting
161
Highest
217.18 people per square kilometre
Burundi
Lowest
0 people per square kilometre
Uruguay
Median
2.42 people per square kilometre
Years covered
24
2000–2023
Data points
3,991
What the numbers show
People in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities, per square kilometre is currently reported for 161 countries. The highest value is 217.18 people per square kilometre in Burundi; the lowest is 0 people per square kilometre in Uruguay.
The median across all reporting countries is 2.42 people per square kilometre, and the mean is 13.07 people per square kilometre.
Over the past decade 40 countries rose and 120 fell. The largest increase was in Israel (up 419.7%), and the largest decrease in Albania (down 100.0%).
People in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities, per: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Burundi | 217.18 people per square kilometre | 2023 | up 24.8% | rising |
| 2 | Bangladesh | 132.5 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 59.9% | falling |
| 3 | Uganda | 121.58 people per square kilometre | 2023 | up 18.0% | rising |
| 4 | Haiti | 103.09 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 18.3% | falling |
| 5 | Comoros | 97.73 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 29.9% | falling |
| 6 | Ethiopia | 80.36 people per square kilometre | 2023 | up 19.4% | rising |
| 7 | Togo | 74.6 people per square kilometre | 2023 | up 9.1% | rising |
| 8 | Nigeria | 67.49 people per square kilometre | 2023 | up 8.3% | rising |
| 9 | Gambia | 64.41 people per square kilometre | 2023 | up 52.5% | rising |
| 10 | Pakistan | 52.81 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 38.9% | falling |
| 11 | Malawi | 48.71 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 42.1% | falling |
| 12 | Benin | 47.65 people per square kilometre | 2023 | up 8.7% | rising |
| 13 | India | 43.14 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 70.8% | falling |
| 14 | Sierra Leone | 39.91 people per square kilometre | 2023 | up 1.7% | rising |
| 15 | Kiribati | 36.71 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 18.9% | falling |
| 16 | Sao Tome and Principe | 31.85 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 24.8% | falling |
| 17 | Tanzania | 31.84 people per square kilometre | 2023 | up 1.4% | rising |
| 18 | Guinea-Bissau | 31.22 people per square kilometre | 2023 | up 3.6% | rising |
| 19 | Burkina Faso | 30.47 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 12.3% | falling |
| 20 | Kenya | 27.95 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 10.2% | flat |
| 21 | Ghana | 27.73 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 6.1% | flat |
| 22 | Cote d'Ivoire | 25.15 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 3.9% | falling |
| 23 | Madagascar | 23.54 people per square kilometre | 2023 | up 3.2% | rising |
| 24 | Guatemala | 23.4 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 18.9% | falling |
| 25 | Lesotho | 22.51 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 27.5% | falling |
| 26 | Yemen | 22.43 people per square kilometre | 2023 | up 3.5% | rising |
| 27 | North Korea | 21.75 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 6.2% | falling |
| 28 | Guinea | 21.48 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 1.8% | flat |
| 29 | Afghanistan | 20.1 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 7.1% | rising |
| 30 | Mozambique | 19.87 people per square kilometre | 2023 | up 9.9% | rising |
| 31 | Liberia | 19.83 people per square kilometre | 2023 | up 7.4% | rising |
| 32 | Democratic Republic of Congo | 19.49 people per square kilometre | 2023 | up 37.9% | rising |
| 33 | Senegal | 17.84 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 14.6% | falling |
| 34 | Saint Lucia | 16.96 people per square kilometre | 2022 | down 1.7% | rising |
| 35 | Solomon Islands | 16.47 people per square kilometre | 2023 | up 21.3% | rising |
| 36 | Cameroon | 16.15 people per square kilometre | 2023 | up 15.1% | rising |
| 37 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 15.31 people per square kilometre | 2018 | down 48.9% | falling |
| 38 | Papua New Guinea | 14.99 people per square kilometre | 2023 | up 14.3% | rising |
| 39 | Niger | 14.75 people per square kilometre | 2023 | up 33.2% | rising |
| 40 | Eritrea | 14.59 people per square kilometre | 2016 | up 0.9% | falling |
| 41 | Zimbabwe | 14.16 people per square kilometre | 2023 | up 15.6% | rising |
| 42 | East Timor | 13.42 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 55.4% | falling |
| 43 | Rwanda | 12.93 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 86.1% | falling |
| 44 | South Sudan | 12.4 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 4.9% | falling |
| 45 | Vietnam | 12.28 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 78.2% | falling |
| 46 | Philippines | 12.19 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 55.5% | falling |
| 47 | Marshall Islands | 11.34 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 51.5% | falling |
| 48 | Chad | 10.87 people per square kilometre | 2023 | up 37.7% | rising |
| 49 | Cambodia | 10.23 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 71.5% | falling |
| 50 | Myanmar | 10.11 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 22.4% | falling |
| 51 | Cape Verde | 9.23 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 55.3% | falling |
| 52 | Zambia | 8.88 people per square kilometre | 2023 | up 0.7% | rising |
| 53 | Nepal | 8.44 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 86.3% | volatile |
| 54 | Morocco | 8.15 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 19.7% | falling |
| 55 | Djibouti | 8.08 people per square kilometre | 2023 | up 2.8% | rising |
| 56 | Somalia | 8.08 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 0.8% | falling |
| 57 | Moldova | 7.83 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 44.8% | falling |
| 58 | Sudan | 7.56 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 18.1% | falling |
| 59 | Eswatini | 7.18 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 37.8% | falling |
| 60 | Romania | 6.94 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 48.7% | falling |
| 61 | Maldives | 6.79 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 93.7% | falling |
| 62 | Vanuatu | 6.69 people per square kilometre | 2023 | up 20.1% | rising |
| 63 | Angola | 6.42 people per square kilometre | 2022 | up 10.0% | rising |
| 64 | Equatorial Guinea | 5.77 people per square kilometre | 2017 | down 5.6% | falling |
| 65 | Indonesia | 5.67 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 73.8% | falling |
| 66 | Armenia | 5.52 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 11.3% | falling |
| 67 | Mali | 5.23 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 9.4% | falling |
| 68 | Panama | 5.05 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 23.2% | falling |
| 69 | Tuvalu | 4.99 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 69.6% | falling |
| 70 | Honduras | 4.9 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 46.9% | falling |
| 71 | Mauritius | 4.8 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 41.8% | falling |
| 72 | Congo | 4.64 people per square kilometre | 2021 | up 11.2% | rising |
| 73 | Georgia | 4.21 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 32.0% | falling |
| 74 | Central African Republic | 4.08 people per square kilometre | 2023 | up 3.7% | rising |
| 75 | Laos | 3.48 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 60.7% | falling |
| 76 | Dominican Republic | 2.96 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 47.3% | falling |
| 77 | South Africa | 2.93 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 39.9% | falling |
| 78 | Trinidad and Tobago | 2.53 people per square kilometre | 2023 | up 120.7% | rising |
| 79 | Palestine | 2.53 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 23.2% | falling |
| 80 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 2.5 people per square kilometre | 2018 | down 16.2% | falling |
| 81 | El Salvador | 2.42 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 77.3% | volatile |
| 82 | Tonga | 2.08 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 75.7% | falling |
| 83 | Egypt | 2.06 people per square kilometre | 2023 | up 22.0% | rising |
| 84 | Peru | 1.9 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 25.7% | falling |
| 85 | Ecuador | 1.72 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 60.6% | falling |
| 86 | Azerbaijan | 1.55 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 84.1% | falling |
| 87 | Serbia | 1.53 people per square kilometre | 2023 | up 4.7% | rising |
| 88 | Bolivia | 1.43 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 26.0% | falling |
| 89 | China | 1.35 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 92.4% | volatile |
| 90 | Jamaica | 1.34 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 53.2% | falling |
| 91 | Mauritania | 1.32 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 5.1% | falling |
| 92 | Latvia | 1.32 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 32.9% | falling |
| 93 | Belize | 1.2 people per square kilometre | 2023 | up 34.7% | rising |
| 94 | Namibia | 1.16 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 1.0% | falling |
| 95 | Colombia | 1.03 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 43.4% | falling |
| 96 | Brazil | 1.03 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 36.3% | falling |
| 97 | Cuba | 0.9953 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 53.1% | falling |
| 98 | Montenegro | 0.9035 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 30.5% | falling |
| 99 | Lithuania | 0.7934 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 70.4% | volatile |
| 100 | Croatia | 0.7113 people per square kilometre | 2021 | down 12.8% | falling |
| 101 | Iraq | 0.6943 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 80.2% | volatile |
| 102 | Russia | 0.6475 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 4.8% | falling |
| 103 | Gabon | 0.6045 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 14.8% | falling |
| 104 | Ireland | 0.5833 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 3.0% | flat |
| 105 | Bhutan | 0.5214 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 85.8% | volatile |
| 106 | Cyprus | 0.5212 people per square kilometre | 2023 | up 60.1% | rising |
| 107 | Tunisia | 0.4612 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 87.5% | volatile |
| 108 | Uzbekistan | 0.4222 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 68.3% | falling |
| 109 | Algeria | 0.3991 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 29.1% | falling |
| 110 | North Macedonia | 0.3981 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 81.6% | volatile |
| 111 | Samoa | 0.3802 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 64.5% | falling |
| 112 | Costa Rica | 0.364 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 67.6% | volatile |
| 113 | Israel | 0.3463 people per square kilometre | 2023 | up 419.7% | volatile |
| 114 | Botswana | 0.3424 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 37.1% | falling |
| 115 | Turkey | 0.3271 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 89.3% | volatile |
| 116 | Tajikistan | 0.2959 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 76.1% | volatile |
| 117 | Syria | 0.2652 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 84.3% | falling |
| 118 | Argentina | 0.2628 people per square kilometre | 2016 | down 21.3% | falling |
| 119 | Mongolia | 0.2386 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 4.3% | falling |
| 120 | Paraguay | 0.2072 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 84.5% | volatile |
| 121 | Jordan | 0.1381 people per square kilometre | 2023 | up 13.3% | falling |
| 122 | Suriname | 0.1156 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 40.8% | falling |
| 123 | Palau | 0.1065 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 85.4% | volatile |
| 124 | Belarus | 0.1011 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 45.2% | falling |
| 125 | United States | 0.1002 people per square kilometre | 2023 | up 312.8% | volatile |
| 126 | United Kingdom | 0.0981 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 8.5% | falling |
| 127 | Ukraine | 0.0686 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 91.1% | volatile |
| 128 | Turks and Caicos Islands | 0.0642 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 7.3% | falling |
| 129 | Thailand | 0.0365 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 96.0% | volatile |
| 130 | Sweden | 0.0211 people per square kilometre | 2023 | up 1.9% | rising |
| 131 | Estonia | 0.017 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 54.1% | falling |
| 132 | Saudi Arabia | 0.0146 people per square kilometre | 2023 | up 3.5% | flat |
| 133 | United Arab Emirates | 0.0138 people per square kilometre | 2023 | up 11.2% | rising |
| 134 | Slovakia | 0.012 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 69.5% | volatile |
| 135 | Canada | 0.0101 people per square kilometre | 2023 | up 41.1% | rising |
| 136 | Luxembourg | 0.0059 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 65.3% | falling |
| 137 | Netherlands | 0.0025 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 17.4% | rising |
| 138 | Belgium | 0.0002 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 62.8% | falling |
| 139 | Bulgaria | 0.0001 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 25.5% | falling |
| 140 | Finland | 0 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 11.1% | falling |
| 141 | Albania | 0 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 141 | Antigua and Barbuda | 0 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 141 | Austria | 0 people per square kilometre | 2023 | — | volatile |
| 141 | Switzerland | 0 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 141 | Chile | 0 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 141 | Czechia | 0 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 141 | Spain | 0 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 141 | Fiji | 0 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 141 | Greece | 0 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 141 | Guyana | 0 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 141 | Iran | 0 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 141 | Kazakhstan | 0 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 141 | Kyrgyzstan | 0 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 141 | Sri Lanka | 0 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 141 | Mexico | 0 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 141 | Malaysia | 0 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 141 | Oman | 0 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 141 | Poland | 0 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 141 | Portugal | 0 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 141 | Turkmenistan | 0 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 141 | Uruguay | 0 people per square kilometre | 2023 | down 100.0% | volatile |
How this figure is calculated
People in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
People in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities ÷ Land area (sq. km)
Computed from
- People in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data
- Land area FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
People in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.