People in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: People in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities was 14.76 million people in 2024. ▼ Falling
People in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in Bangladesh, 2000–2024
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in Bangladesh is 14.76 million people, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
The figure is down 14.3% on the previous year and down 63.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in Bangladesh peaked at 74.17 million people in 2000 and was at its lowest, 14.76 million people, in 2024.
Bangladesh ranks 11th of 175 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
People in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in Bangladesh, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 74.17 million people | — |
| 2001 | 72.42 million people | -2.4% |
| 2002 | 70.39 million people | -2.8% |
| 2003 | 68.26 million people | -3.0% |
| 2004 | 66.02 million people | -3.3% |
| 2005 | 63.69 million people | -3.5% |
| 2006 | 61.26 million people | -3.8% |
| 2007 | 58.75 million people | -4.1% |
| 2008 | 56.19 million people | -4.4% |
| 2009 | 53.57 million people | -4.7% |
| 2010 | 50.92 million people | -4.9% |
| 2011 | 48.28 million people | -5.2% |
| 2012 | 45.67 million people | -5.4% |
| 2013 | 43.05 million people | -5.7% |
| 2014 | 40.42 million people | -6.1% |
| 2015 | 37.79 million people | -6.5% |
| 2016 | 35.17 million people | -6.9% |
| 2017 | 32.55 million people | -7.5% |
| 2018 | 29.93 million people | -8.0% |
| 2019 | 27.34 million people | -8.7% |
| 2020 | 24.76 million people | -9.4% |
| 2021 | 22.19 million people | -10.4% |
| 2022 | 19.69 million people | -11.3% |
| 2023 | 17.22 million people | -12.5% |
| 2024 | 14.76 million people | -14.3% |
Bangladesh compared with similar countries
- Bangladesh's 14.76 million people is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.54 million people, 9.6× the median. (44 countries reporting)
- Bangladesh's 14.76 million people is above the median for South Asia, which is 217,606 people, 67.8× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 64.47 million people | 53.57 million people | 74.17 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 39.11 million people | 27.34 million people | 50.92 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.72 million people | 14.76 million people | 24.76 million people | 5 |
Countries ranked near Bangladesh
More reference data data for Bangladesh
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 2.46 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 9.09 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 24.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 24.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 8.25 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 2.5 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 37.85 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 105.98 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 14.25 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in Bangladesh?
- People in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in Bangladesh was 14.76 million people 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 people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities recorded in Bangladesh?
- The highest recorded value was 74.17 million people in 2000.
- What is the lowest people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities recorded in Bangladesh?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.76 million people in 2024.
- How does Bangladesh rank for people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities?
- Bangladesh ranks 11th out of 175 countries with data for 2024.
- Is people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities rising or falling in Bangladesh?
- Over the last ten years it is down 63.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Bangladesh 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 People in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities. 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
If no improved sanitation facility is available, people might practice open defecation or use unimproved sanitation facilities.