People in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in Costa Rica

Costa Rica: People in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities was 15,709 people in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
15,709 people
Change on year
down 15.5%
World rank
110th
of 175 countries
All-time high
136,037 people
in 2000
All-time low
15,709 people
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

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

25.0k50.0k75.0k100.0k125.0k2000201220242000: 136.0k people2001: 129.5k people2002: 122.9k people2003: 116.3k people2004: 109.7k people2005: 103.2k people2006: 96.9k people2007: 90.7k people2008: 84.7k people2009: 78.9k people2010: 73.1k people2011: 67.6k people2012: 62.3k people2013: 57.3k people2014: 52.5k people2015: 47.9k people2016: 43.6k people2017: 39.5k people2018: 35.6k people2019: 31.9k people2020: 28.3k people2021: 24.9k people2022: 21.6k people2023: 18.6k people2024: 15.7k people

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 Costa Rica is 15,709 people, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

The figure is down 15.5% on the previous year and down 70.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in Costa Rica peaked at 136,037 people in 2000 and was at its lowest, 15,709 people, in 2024.

That places Costa Rica 110th out of 175 countries with data for 2024, putting it 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 106,886 people 78,850 people 136,037 people 10
2010s 51,129 people 31,854 people 73,134 people 10
2020s 21,818 people 15,709 people 28,287 people 5

Countries ranked near Costa Rica

  1. 107 Tunisia 21,675 people compare
  2. 108 Belarus 19,324 people compare
  3. 109 Suriname 18,657 people compare
  4. 111 Palestine 15,291 people compare
  5. 112 Trinidad and Tobago 13,679 people compare
  6. 113 Jamaica 12,918 people compare

See the full ranking of 175 places →

More reference data data for Costa Rica

All data for Costa Rica →

Frequently asked questions

What is people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in Costa Rica?
People in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in Costa Rica was 15,709 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 Costa Rica?
The highest recorded value was 136,037 people in 2000.
What is the lowest people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities recorded in Costa Rica?
The lowest recorded value was 15,709 people in 2024.
How does Costa Rica rank for people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities?
Costa Rica ranks 110th out of 175 countries with data for 2024.
Is people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities rising or falling in Costa Rica?
Over the last ten years it is down 70.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Costa Rica 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.