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.
Access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 32.8% | — |
| 2001 | 32.5% | -0.7% |
| 2002 | 32.3% | -0.7% |
| 2003 | 32.1% | -0.7% |
| 2004 | 31.9% | -0.7% |
| 2005 | 31.6% | -0.7% |
| 2006 | 31.4% | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 31.2% | -0.7% |
| 2008 | 31.0% | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 30.8% | -0.7% |
| 2010 | 30.5% | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 30.3% | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 30.1% | -0.7% |
| 2013 | 29.9% | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 29.7% | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 29.4% | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 29.2% | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 29.0% | -0.8% |
| 2018 | 28.8% | -0.8% |
| 2019 | 28.6% | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 28.3% | -0.8% |
| 2021 | 28.1% | -0.8% |
| 2022 | 27.9% | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 27.9% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 27.9% | +0.0% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 27.9% is below the median for low income countries, which is 28.7%, 97% of the median. (22 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 27.9% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 33.3%, 84% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
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
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1596 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.09 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 3.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.3426 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 3.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.5353 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.6012 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 4.92 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 16.7 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.87 (2050)
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.
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.