People in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in Bhutan

Bhutan: People in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities was 8,412 people in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
8,412 people
Change on year
down 57.7%
World rank
121st
of 175 countries
All-time high
278,470 people
in 2001
All-time low
8,412 people
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

People in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in Bhutan, 2000–2024

0100.0k200.0k300.0k2000201220242000: 276.1k people2001: 278.5k people2002: 268.6k people2003: 258.2k people2004: 247.3k people2005: 235.6k people2006: 224.2k people2007: 212.4k people2008: 200.4k people2009: 188.3k people2010: 176.2k people2011: 164.0k people2012: 151.9k people2013: 139.8k people2014: 127.7k people2015: 115.5k people2016: 103.4k people2017: 91.3k people2018: 79.1k people2019: 67.0k people2020: 55.0k people2021: 43.2k people2022: 31.5k people2023: 19.9k people2024: 8.4k people

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

Analysis

Bhutan recorded 8,412 people for people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 57.7% on the previous year and down 93.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in Bhutan peaked at 278,470 people in 2001 and was at its lowest, 8,412 people, in 2024.

Bhutan ranks 121st of 175 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 238,956 people 188,292 people 278,470 people 10
2010s 121,575 people 66,955 people 176,156 people 10
2020s 31,588 people 8,412 people 54,993 people 5

Countries ranked near Bhutan

  1. 118 Mauritius 8,880 people compare
  2. 119 Ukraine 8,765 people compare
  3. 120 Sweden 8,468 people compare
  4. 122 Israel 7,502 people compare
  5. 123 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 5,969 people compare
  6. 124 Cyprus 4,849 people compare

See the full ranking of 175 places →

More reference data data for Bhutan

All data for Bhutan →

Frequently asked questions

What is people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in Bhutan?
People in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in Bhutan was 8,412 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 Bhutan?
The highest recorded value was 278,470 people in 2001.
What is the lowest people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities recorded in Bhutan?
The lowest recorded value was 8,412 people in 2024.
How does Bhutan rank for people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities?
Bhutan ranks 121st out of 175 countries with data for 2024.
Is people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities rising or falling in Bhutan?
Over the last ten years it is down 93.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Bhutan 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

Indicator
People in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities
Unit
people
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
175 places, 4,269 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed

If no improved sanitation facility is available, people might practice open defecation or use unimproved sanitation facilities.