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

Nepal: Access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas was 76.9% in 2024. ▬ Flat

Latest (2024)
76.9%
Change on year
up 0.2%
World rank
57th
of 113 countries
All-time high
76.9%
in 2024
All-time low
74.1%
in 2005
Years of data
20
2005–2024

Access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas in Nepal, 2005–2024

0204060802005201420242005: 74.1 %2006: 74.1 %2007: 74.1 %2008: 74.1 %2009: 74.1 %2010: 74.3 %2011: 74.5 %2012: 74.6 %2013: 74.8 %2014: 75 %2015: 75.2 %2016: 75.4 %2017: 75.6 %2018: 75.7 %2019: 75.9 %2020: 76.1 %2021: 76.3 %2022: 76.5 %2023: 76.7 %2024: 76.9 %

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 Nepal stood at 76.9%. That is the highest value across all 20 years on record.

That represents a change of up 0.2% on the previous year and up 2.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas in Nepal peaked at 76.9% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 74.1%, in 2005.

That places Nepal 57th out of 113 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 74.1% 74.1% 74.1% 5
2010s 75.1% 74.3% 75.9% 10
2020s 76.5% 76.1% 76.9% 5

Countries ranked near Nepal

  1. 54 Kenya 79.2% compare
  2. 55 Colombia 78.3% compare
  3. 56 Guyana 78.2% compare
  4. 58 Suriname 74.8% compare
  5. 59 Laos 74.6% compare
  6. 60 Yemen 73.8% compare

See the full ranking of 113 places →

More reference data data for Nepal

All data for Nepal →

Frequently asked questions

What is access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas in Nepal?
Access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas in Nepal was 76.9% 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 Nepal?
The highest recorded value was 76.9% in 2024.
What is the lowest access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas recorded in Nepal?
The lowest recorded value was 74.1% in 2005.
How does Nepal rank for access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas?
Nepal ranks 57th out of 113 countries with data for 2024.
Is access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas rising or falling in Nepal?
Over the last ten years it is up 2.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Nepal 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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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.