People in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in Laos
Laos: People in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities was 678,318 people in 2024. ▼ Falling
People in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in Laos, 2000–2024
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
Laos recorded 678,318 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 15.5% on the previous year and down 64.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in Laos peaked at 3.48 million people in 2000 and was at its lowest, 678,318 people, in 2024.
That places Laos 63rd out of 175 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
People in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in Laos, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 3.48 million people | — |
| 2001 | 3.37 million people | -3.1% |
| 2002 | 3.26 million people | -3.4% |
| 2003 | 3.14 million people | -3.6% |
| 2004 | 3.02 million people | -3.9% |
| 2005 | 2.91 million people | -3.8% |
| 2006 | 2.81 million people | -3.4% |
| 2007 | 2.71 million people | -3.6% |
| 2008 | 2.60 million people | -3.9% |
| 2009 | 2.49 million people | -4.1% |
| 2010 | 2.38 million people | -4.4% |
| 2011 | 2.27 million people | -4.7% |
| 2012 | 2.16 million people | -5.0% |
| 2013 | 2.04 million people | -5.4% |
| 2014 | 1.92 million people | -5.8% |
| 2015 | 1.80 million people | -6.2% |
| 2016 | 1.69 million people | -6.6% |
| 2017 | 1.56 million people | -7.1% |
| 2018 | 1.44 million people | -7.8% |
| 2019 | 1.32 million people | -8.6% |
| 2020 | 1.19 million people | -9.6% |
| 2021 | 1.06 million people | -10.8% |
| 2022 | 933,872 people | -12.2% |
| 2023 | 802,789 people | -14.0% |
| 2024 | 678,318 people | -15.5% |
Laos compared with similar countries
- Laos's 678,318 people is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.54 million people, 44% of the median. (44 countries reporting)
- Laos's 678,318 people is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 169,853 people, 4.0× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 2.98 million people | 2.49 million people | 3.48 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.86 million people | 1.32 million people | 2.38 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 934,148 people | 678,318 people | 1.19 million people | 5 |
Countries ranked near Laos
More reference data data for Laos
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.6615 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.913 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.88 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.3021 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.88 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 2.22 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 3.96 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 5.07 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 12.95 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.64 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in Laos?
- People in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in Laos was 678,318 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 Laos?
- The highest recorded value was 3.48 million people in 2000.
- What is the lowest people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities recorded in Laos?
- The lowest recorded value was 678,318 people in 2024.
- How does Laos rank for people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities?
- Laos ranks 63rd out of 175 countries with data for 2024.
- Is people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities rising or falling in Laos?
- Over the last ten years it is down 64.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Laos 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
If no improved sanitation facility is available, people might practice open defecation or use unimproved sanitation facilities.