People in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in Kenya

Kenya: People in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities was 16.01 million people in 2024. ▬ Flat

Latest (2024)
16.01 million people
Change on year
down 1.4%
World rank
9th
of 175 countries
All-time high
17.73 million people
in 2012
All-time low
16.01 million people
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

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

05.0M10.0M15.0M20.0M2000201220242000: 16.3M people2001: 16.4M people2002: 16.6M people2003: 16.8M people2004: 16.9M people2005: 17.1M people2006: 17.2M people2007: 17.3M people2008: 17.5M people2009: 17.6M people2010: 17.7M people2011: 17.7M people2012: 17.7M people2013: 17.7M people2014: 17.7M people2015: 17.6M people2016: 17.5M people2017: 17.4M people2018: 17.2M people2019: 17.0M people2020: 16.9M people2021: 16.7M people2022: 16.4M people2023: 16.2M people2024: 16.0M people

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

Analysis

Kenya recorded 16.01 million people for people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

That represents a change of down 1.4% on the previous year and down 9.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in Kenya peaked at 17.73 million people in 2012 and was at its lowest, 16.01 million people, in 2024.

That places Kenya 9th out of 175 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 16.97 million people 16.27 million people 17.58 million people 10
2010s 17.51 million people 17.04 million people 17.73 million people 10
2020s 16.44 million people 16.01 million people 16.86 million people 5

Countries ranked near Kenya

  1. 6 Tanzania 28.10 million people compare
  2. 7 Uganda 24.65 million people compare
  3. 8 Niger 19.16 million people compare
  4. 10 Mozambique 15.74 million people compare
  5. 11 Bangladesh 14.76 million people compare
  6. 12 Chad 14.32 million people compare

See the full ranking of 175 places →

More reference data data for Kenya

All data for Kenya →

Frequently asked questions

What is people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in Kenya?
People in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in Kenya was 16.01 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 Kenya?
The highest recorded value was 17.73 million people in 2012.
What is the lowest people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities recorded in Kenya?
The lowest recorded value was 16.01 million people in 2024.
How does Kenya rank for people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities?
Kenya ranks 9th out of 175 countries with data for 2024.
Is people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities rising or falling in Kenya?
Over the last ten years it is down 9.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Kenya 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.