People in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in Gambia

Gambia: People in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities was 655,420 people in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
655,420 people
Change on year
up 0.6%
World rank
64th
of 175 countries
All-time high
655,420 people
in 2024
All-time low
148,194 people
in 2000
Years of data
25
2000–2024

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

200.0k400.0k600.0k2000201220242000: 148.2k people2001: 166.5k people2002: 185.0k people2003: 203.9k people2004: 223.9k people2005: 244.4k people2006: 265.5k people2007: 287.2k people2008: 309.3k people2009: 332.0k people2010: 355.1k people2011: 378.7k people2012: 402.9k people2013: 427.5k people2014: 452.2k people2015: 476.9k people2016: 501.5k people2017: 525.9k people2018: 550.1k people2019: 574.2k people2020: 598.7k people2021: 623.4k people2022: 648.1k people2023: 651.8k people2024: 655.4k people

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in Gambia is 655,420 people, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.

That represents a change of up 0.6% on the previous year and up 44.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in Gambia peaked at 655,420 people in 2024 and was at its lowest, 148,194 people, in 2000.

Gambia ranks 64th of 175 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 236,578 people 148,194 people 331,965 people 10
2010s 464,515 people 355,079 people 574,227 people 10
2020s 635,485 people 598,675 people 655,420 people 5

Countries ranked near Gambia

  1. 61 Guinea-Bissau 890,478 people compare
  2. 62 Argentina 719,188 people compare
  3. 63 Laos 678,318 people compare
  4. 65 Lesotho 654,622 people compare
  5. 66 Honduras 497,194 people compare
  6. 67 Solomon Islands 469,132 people compare

See the full ranking of 175 places →

More reference data data for Gambia

All data for Gambia →

Frequently asked questions

What is people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in Gambia?
People in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in Gambia was 655,420 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 Gambia?
The highest recorded value was 655,420 people in 2024.
What is the lowest people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities recorded in Gambia?
The lowest recorded value was 148,194 people in 2000.
How does Gambia rank for people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities?
Gambia ranks 64th out of 175 countries with data for 2024.
Is people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities rising or falling in Gambia?
Over the last ten years it is up 44.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Gambia 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.