Access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas in Kenya

Kenya: Access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas was 79.2% in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
79.2%
Change on year
up 9.7%
World rank
54th
of 113 countries
All-time high
79.2%
in 2024
All-time low
16.0%
in 2011
Years of data
14
2011–2024

Access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas in Kenya, 2011–2024

204060802011201720242011: 16 %2012: 16 %2013: 16 %2014: 16 %2015: 16 %2016: 23.1 %2017: 30.1 %2018: 37.1 %2019: 44.1 %2020: 51.1 %2021: 58.2 %2022: 65.2 %2023: 72.2 %2024: 79.2 %

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 access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas in Kenya is 79.2%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 14 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 9.7% on the previous year and up 393.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas in Kenya peaked at 79.2% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 16.0%, in 2011.

Kenya ranks 54th of 113 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 23.8% 16.0% 44.1% 9
2020s 65.2% 51.1% 79.2% 5

Countries ranked near Kenya

  1. 51 Myanmar 83.0% compare
  2. 52 Indonesia 81.8% compare
  3. 53 Bangladesh 80.0% compare
  4. 55 Colombia 78.3% compare
  5. 56 Guyana 78.2% compare
  6. 57 Nepal 76.9% compare

See the full ranking of 113 places →

More reference data data for Kenya

All data for Kenya →

Frequently asked questions

What is access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas in Kenya?
Access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas in Kenya was 79.2% 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 Kenya?
The highest recorded value was 79.2% in 2024.
What is the lowest access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas recorded in Kenya?
The lowest recorded value was 16.0% in 2011.
How does Kenya rank for access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas?
Kenya ranks 54th out of 113 countries with data for 2024.
Is access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas rising or falling in Kenya?
Over the last ten years it is up 393.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Kenya 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 — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas
Unit
%
Source
WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
113 places, 1,688 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed

Proportion of people with access to a handwashing facility with soap and water available at home.