People in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in Namibia

Namibia: People in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities was 947,581 people in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
947,581 people
Change on year
down 0.6%
World rank
58th
of 175 countries
All-time high
1.05 million people
in 2001
All-time low
947,581 people
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

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

0250.0k500.0k750.0k1.0M2000201220242000: 1.0M people2001: 1.1M people2002: 1.1M people2003: 1.0M people2004: 1.0M people2005: 1.0M people2006: 1.0M people2007: 1.0M people2008: 994.1k people2009: 984.6k people2010: 975.5k people2011: 967.6k people2012: 963.7k people2013: 962.9k people2014: 961.7k people2015: 960.4k people2016: 959.3k people2017: 958.4k people2018: 957.7k people2019: 957.1k people2020: 957.6k people2021: 958.3k people2022: 957.3k people2023: 953.7k people2024: 947.6k 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 Namibia is 947,581 people, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.6% on the previous year and down 1.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in Namibia peaked at 1.05 million people in 2001 and was at its lowest, 947,581 people, in 2024.

Namibia ranks 58th of 175 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 1.03 million people 984,643 people 1.05 million people 10
2010s 962,422 people 957,139 people 975,486 people 10
2020s 954,897 people 947,581 people 958,300 people 5

Countries ranked near Namibia

  1. 55 Mauritania 1.37 million people compare
  2. 56 Cambodia 1.30 million people compare
  3. 57 Colombia 1.06 million people compare
  4. 59 Algeria 945,222 people compare
  5. 60 United States 909,537 people compare
  6. 61 Guinea-Bissau 890,478 people compare

See the full ranking of 175 places →

More reference data data for Namibia

All data for Namibia →

Frequently asked questions

What is people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in Namibia?
People in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in Namibia was 947,581 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 Namibia?
The highest recorded value was 1.05 million people in 2001.
What is the lowest people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities recorded in Namibia?
The lowest recorded value was 947,581 people in 2024.
How does Namibia rank for people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities?
Namibia ranks 58th out of 175 countries with data for 2024.
Is people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities rising or falling in Namibia?
Over the last ten years it is down 1.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Namibia 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.