Access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas in Benin
Benin: Access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas was 15.8% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas in Benin, 2000–2024
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas in Benin stood at 15.8%. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.
The figure is up 2.7% on the previous year and up 36.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas in Benin peaked at 15.8% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 5.7%, in 2000.
That places Benin 110th out of 113 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
Access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas in Benin, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 5.7% | — |
| 2001 | 6.2% | +7.3% |
| 2002 | 6.6% | +6.8% |
| 2003 | 7.0% | +6.4% |
| 2004 | 7.4% | +6.0% |
| 2005 | 7.8% | +5.7% |
| 2006 | 8.3% | +5.3% |
| 2007 | 8.7% | +5.1% |
| 2008 | 9.1% | +4.8% |
| 2009 | 9.5% | +4.6% |
| 2010 | 9.9% | +4.4% |
| 2011 | 10.4% | +4.2% |
| 2012 | 10.8% | +4.1% |
| 2013 | 11.2% | +3.9% |
| 2014 | 11.6% | +3.7% |
| 2015 | 12.0% | +3.6% |
| 2016 | 12.4% | +3.5% |
| 2017 | 12.9% | +3.4% |
| 2018 | 13.3% | +3.3% |
| 2019 | 13.7% | +3.2% |
| 2020 | 14.1% | +3.1% |
| 2021 | 14.5% | +3.0% |
| 2022 | 15.0% | +2.9% |
| 2023 | 15.4% | +2.8% |
| 2024 | 15.8% | +2.7% |
Benin compared with similar countries
- Benin's 15.8% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 62.4%, 25% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Benin's 15.8% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 33.3%, 47% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 7.6% | 5.7% | 9.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.8% | 9.9% | 13.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 15.0% | 14.1% | 15.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Benin
More reference data data for Benin
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1979 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.67 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.03 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1562 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 2.03 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.6635 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.5244 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 8.56 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 10.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.8505 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas in Benin?
- Access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas in Benin was 15.8% 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 Benin?
- The highest recorded value was 15.8% in 2024.
- What is the lowest access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas recorded in Benin?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.7% in 2000.
- How does Benin rank for access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas?
- Benin ranks 110th out of 113 countries with data for 2024.
- Is access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas rising or falling in Benin?
- Over the last ten years it is up 36.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Benin 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 — 25 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.