Access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas in India
India: Access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas was 96.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas in India, 2010–2024
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 India stood at 96.1%. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
That represents a change of up 27.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas in India peaked at 96.1% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 75.3%, in 2010.
India ranks 16th of 113 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas in India, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 75.3% | — |
| 2011 | 75.3% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 75.3% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 75.3% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 75.3% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 77.6% | +3.1% |
| 2016 | 79.9% | +3.0% |
| 2017 | 82.2% | +2.9% |
| 2018 | 84.5% | +2.8% |
| 2019 | 86.9% | +2.7% |
| 2020 | 89.2% | +2.7% |
| 2021 | 91.5% | +2.6% |
| 2022 | 93.8% | +2.5% |
| 2023 | 96.1% | +2.5% |
| 2024 | 96.1% | +0.0% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 96.1% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 62.4%, 1.5× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- India's 96.1% is above the median for South Asia, which is 93.2%, 1.0× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 78.8% | 75.3% | 86.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 93.4% | 89.2% | 96.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near India
More reference data data for India
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 20.88 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 68.88 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 246.78 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 15.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 246.78 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 70.02 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 19.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 309.05 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1,063 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 85.03 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas in India?
- Access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas in India was 96.1% 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 access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 96.1% in 2023.
- What is the lowest access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 75.3% in 2010.
- How does India rank for access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas?
- India ranks 16th out of 113 countries with data for 2024.
- Is access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is up 27.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this India 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.
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CSV · JSON — 15 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.