People in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in Bulgaria

Bulgaria: People in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities was 13.38 people in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
13.38 people
Change on year
down 2.9%
World rank
137th
of 175 countries
All-time high
26.58 people
in 2000
All-time low
13.38 people
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

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

01020302000201220242000: 26.6 people2001: 25.9 people2002: 25 people2003: 24.4 people2004: 23.8 people2005: 23.1 people2006: 22.5 people2007: 21.9 people2008: 21.4 people2009: 20.8 people2010: 20.3 people2011: 19.6 people2012: 19 people2013: 18.5 people2014: 18 people2015: 17.5 people2016: 17 people2017: 16.5 people2018: 16.1 people2019: 15.5 people2020: 15 people2021: 14.6 people2022: 14.2 people2023: 13.8 people2024: 13.4 people

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

Analysis

In 2024, people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in Bulgaria stood at 13.38 people. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

That represents a change of down 2.9% on the previous year and down 25.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in Bulgaria peaked at 26.58 people in 2000 and was at its lowest, 13.38 people, in 2024.

That places Bulgaria 137th out of 175 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 23.55 people 20.82 people 26.58 people 10
2010s 17.8 people 15.48 people 20.27 people 10
2020s 14.19 people 13.38 people 15.05 people 5

Countries ranked near Bulgaria

  1. 134 Netherlands 82.58 people compare
  2. 135 Turks and Caicos Islands 59.43 people compare
  3. 136 Palau 47.73 people compare
  4. 139 Belgium 6.55 people compare
  5. 140 Finland 1.7 people compare

See the full ranking of 175 places →

More reference data data for Bulgaria

All data for Bulgaria →

Frequently asked questions

What is people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in Bulgaria?
People in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in Bulgaria was 13.38 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 Bulgaria?
The highest recorded value was 26.58 people in 2000.
What is the lowest people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities recorded in Bulgaria?
The lowest recorded value was 13.38 people in 2024.
How does Bulgaria rank for people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities?
Bulgaria ranks 137th out of 175 countries with data for 2024.
Is people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities rising or falling in Bulgaria?
Over the last ten years it is down 25.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Bulgaria 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.