People in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in Ghana

Ghana: People in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities was 6.25 million people in 2024. ▬ Flat

Latest (2024)
6.25 million people
Change on year
down 1.0%
World rank
30th
of 175 countries
All-time high
6.75 million people
in 2009
All-time low
6.25 million people
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

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

02.0M4.0M6.0M2000201220242000: 6.6M people2001: 6.6M people2002: 6.6M people2003: 6.7M people2004: 6.7M people2005: 6.7M people2006: 6.7M people2007: 6.7M people2008: 6.7M people2009: 6.8M people2010: 6.7M people2011: 6.7M people2012: 6.7M people2013: 6.7M people2014: 6.7M people2015: 6.7M people2016: 6.7M people2017: 6.6M people2018: 6.6M people2019: 6.5M people2020: 6.5M people2021: 6.4M people2022: 6.4M people2023: 6.3M people2024: 6.2M 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 Ghana stood at 6.25 million people. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.0% on the previous year and down 6.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in Ghana peaked at 6.75 million people in 2009 and was at its lowest, 6.25 million people, in 2024.

That places Ghana 30th out of 175 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 6.69 million people 6.59 million people 6.75 million people 10
2010s 6.67 million people 6.53 million people 6.75 million people 10
2020s 6.37 million people 6.25 million people 6.48 million people 5

Countries ranked near Ghana

  1. 27 Myanmar 6.61 million people compare
  2. 28 Zambia 6.57 million people compare
  3. 29 Mali 6.27 million people compare
  4. 31 Burundi 5.70 million people compare
  5. 32 Zimbabwe 5.56 million people compare
  6. 33 Benin 5.39 million people compare

See the full ranking of 175 places →

More reference data data for Ghana

All data for Ghana →

Frequently asked questions

What is people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in Ghana?
People in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in Ghana was 6.25 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 Ghana?
The highest recorded value was 6.75 million people in 2009.
What is the lowest people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities recorded in Ghana?
The lowest recorded value was 6.25 million people in 2024.
How does Ghana rank for people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities?
Ghana ranks 30th out of 175 countries with data for 2024.
Is people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities rising or falling in Ghana?
Over the last ten years it is down 6.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Ghana 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.