Access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: Access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas was 80.0% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas in Bangladesh, 2005–2024
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Bangladesh recorded 80.0% for access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas in 2024. That is the highest value across all 20 years on record.
The figure is up 3.4% on the previous year and up 49.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas in Bangladesh peaked at 80.0% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 40.1%, in 2005.
That places Bangladesh 53rd out of 113 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 20 years of available data.
Access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas in Bangladesh, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 40.1% | — |
| 2006 | 40.1% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 40.1% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 40.1% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 40.1% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 42.7% | +6.7% |
| 2011 | 45.4% | +6.2% |
| 2012 | 48.0% | +5.9% |
| 2013 | 50.7% | +5.5% |
| 2014 | 53.4% | +5.3% |
| 2015 | 56.0% | +5.0% |
| 2016 | 58.7% | +4.8% |
| 2017 | 61.4% | +4.5% |
| 2018 | 64.0% | +4.3% |
| 2019 | 66.7% | +4.2% |
| 2020 | 69.4% | +4.0% |
| 2021 | 72.0% | +3.8% |
| 2022 | 74.7% | +3.7% |
| 2023 | 77.4% | +3.6% |
| 2024 | 80.0% | +3.4% |
Bangladesh compared with similar countries
- Bangladesh's 80.0% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 62.4%, 1.3× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Bangladesh's 80.0% is below the median for South Asia, which is 93.2%, 86% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 40.1% | 40.1% | 40.1% | 5 |
| 2010s | 54.7% | 42.7% | 66.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 74.7% | 69.4% | 80.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Bangladesh
More reference data data for Bangladesh
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 2.46 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 9.09 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 24.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 24.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 8.25 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 2.5 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 37.85 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 105.98 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 14.25 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas in Bangladesh?
- Access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas in Bangladesh was 80.0% 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 access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas recorded in Bangladesh?
- The highest recorded value was 80.0% in 2024.
- What is the lowest access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas recorded in Bangladesh?
- The lowest recorded value was 40.1% in 2005.
- How does Bangladesh rank for access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas?
- Bangladesh ranks 53rd out of 113 countries with data for 2024.
- Is access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas rising or falling in Bangladesh?
- Over the last ten years it is up 49.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Bangladesh 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 Access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 20 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Proportion of people with access to a handwashing facility with soap and water available at home.