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

Uganda: Access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas was 36.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
36.7%
Change on year
up 2.9%
World rank
84th
of 113 countries
All-time high
36.7%
in 2024
All-time low
12.0%
in 2000
Years of data
25
2000–2024

Access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas in Uganda, 2000–2024

1015202530352000201220242000: 12 %2001: 13.1 %2002: 14.1 %2003: 15.1 %2004: 16.1 %2005: 17.2 %2006: 18.2 %2007: 19.2 %2008: 20.3 %2009: 21.3 %2010: 22.3 %2011: 23.3 %2012: 24.4 %2013: 25.4 %2014: 26.4 %2015: 27.5 %2016: 28.5 %2017: 29.5 %2018: 30.5 %2019: 31.6 %2020: 32.6 %2021: 33.6 %2022: 34.7 %2023: 35.7 %2024: 36.7 %

Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

Uganda recorded 36.7% for access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas in 2024. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.9% on the previous year and up 38.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas in Uganda peaked at 36.7% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 12.0%, in 2000.

That places Uganda 84th out of 113 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 16.7% 12.0% 21.3% 10
2010s 26.9% 22.3% 31.6% 10
2020s 34.7% 32.6% 36.7% 5

Countries ranked near Uganda

  1. 81 East Timor 42.6% compare
  2. 82 Comoros 40.7% compare
  3. 83 Nigeria 38.2% compare
  4. 85 Burkina Faso 35.5% compare
  5. 86 Madagascar 35.5% compare
  6. 87 Central African Republic 35.4% compare

See the full ranking of 113 places →

More reference data data for Uganda

All data for Uganda →

Frequently asked questions

What is access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas in Uganda?
Access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas in Uganda was 36.7% 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 Uganda?
The highest recorded value was 36.7% in 2024.
What is the lowest access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas recorded in Uganda?
The lowest recorded value was 12.0% in 2000.
How does Uganda rank for access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas?
Uganda ranks 84th out of 113 countries with data for 2024.
Is access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas rising or falling in Uganda?
Over the last ten years it is up 38.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Uganda 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

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.