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
Access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas in Uganda, 2000–2024
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.
Access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas in Uganda, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 12.0% | — |
| 2001 | 13.1% | +8.6% |
| 2002 | 14.1% | +7.9% |
| 2003 | 15.1% | +7.3% |
| 2004 | 16.1% | +6.8% |
| 2005 | 17.2% | +6.4% |
| 2006 | 18.2% | +6.0% |
| 2007 | 19.2% | +5.7% |
| 2008 | 20.3% | +5.4% |
| 2009 | 21.3% | +5.1% |
| 2010 | 22.3% | +4.8% |
| 2011 | 23.3% | +4.6% |
| 2012 | 24.4% | +4.4% |
| 2013 | 25.4% | +4.2% |
| 2014 | 26.4% | +4.1% |
| 2015 | 27.5% | +3.9% |
| 2016 | 28.5% | +3.7% |
| 2017 | 29.5% | +3.6% |
| 2018 | 30.5% | +3.5% |
| 2019 | 31.6% | +3.4% |
| 2020 | 32.6% | +3.3% |
| 2021 | 33.6% | +3.2% |
| 2022 | 34.7% | +3.1% |
| 2023 | 35.7% | +3.0% |
| 2024 | 36.7% | +2.9% |
Uganda compared with similar countries
- Uganda's 36.7% is above the median for low income countries, which is 28.7%, 1.3× the median. (22 countries reporting)
- Uganda's 36.7% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 33.3%, 1.1× the median. (43 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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
- 81 East Timor 42.6% compare
- 82 Comoros 40.7% compare
- 83 Nigeria 38.2% compare
- 85 Burkina Faso 35.5% compare
- 86 Madagascar 35.5% compare
- 87 Central African Republic 35.4% compare
More reference data data for Uganda
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.36 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 5.95 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 7.86 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.4214 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 7.86 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 4.57 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 5.13 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 29.65 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 42.22 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.29 (2050)
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
Proportion of people with access to a handwashing facility with soap and water available at home.