Access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas in Malawi
Malawi: Access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas was 27.9% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas in Malawi, 2000–2024
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 27.9% for access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
The figure is down 5.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas in Malawi peaked at 32.8% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 27.9%, in 2022.
Malawi ranks 97th of 113 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 31.8% | 30.8% | 32.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 29.6% | 28.6% | 30.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 28.0% | 27.9% | 28.3% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
More reference data data for Malawi
- Spring temperature anomalies -0.0372 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.606 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.3659 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.9529 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies -0.5269 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 1,313 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas in Malawi?
- Access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas in Malawi was 27.9% 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 Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 32.8% in 2000.
- What is the lowest access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 27.9% in 2022.
- How does Malawi rank for access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas?
- Malawi ranks 97th out of 113 countries with data for 2024.
- Is access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malawi 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 — 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.