People in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in Nepal

Nepal: People in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities was 426,800 people in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
426,800 people
Change on year
down 64.7%
World rank
68th
of 175 countries
All-time high
17.56 million people
in 2000
All-time low
426,800 people
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

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

05.0M10.0M15.0M20.0M2000201220242000: 17.6M people2001: 17.0M people2002: 16.5M people2003: 15.9M people2004: 15.3M people2005: 14.7M people2006: 14.0M people2007: 13.3M people2008: 12.6M people2009: 11.9M people2010: 11.1M people2011: 10.4M people2012: 9.6M people2013: 8.8M people2014: 8.0M people2015: 7.3M people2016: 6.5M people2017: 5.7M people2018: 5.0M people2019: 4.2M people2020: 3.5M people2021: 2.8M people2022: 2.0M people2023: 1.2M people2024: 426.8k 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 Nepal is 426,800 people, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

The figure is down 64.7% on the previous year and down 94.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in Nepal peaked at 17.56 million people in 2000 and was at its lowest, 426,800 people, in 2024.

Nepal ranks 68th of 175 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 14.88 million people 11.88 million people 17.56 million people 10
2010s 7.67 million people 4.24 million people 11.14 million people 10
2020s 1.99 million people 426,800 people 3.52 million people 5

Countries ranked near Nepal

  1. 65 Lesotho 654,622 people compare
  2. 66 Honduras 497,194 people compare
  3. 67 Solomon Islands 469,132 people compare
  4. 69 Mongolia 366,299 people compare
  5. 70 Panama 361,254 people compare
  6. 71 Ecuador 352,323 people compare

See the full ranking of 175 places →

More reference data data for Nepal

All data for Nepal →

Frequently asked questions

What is people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in Nepal?
People in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in Nepal was 426,800 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 Nepal?
The highest recorded value was 17.56 million people in 2000.
What is the lowest people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities recorded in Nepal?
The lowest recorded value was 426,800 people in 2024.
How does Nepal rank for people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities?
Nepal ranks 68th out of 175 countries with data for 2024.
Is people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities rising or falling in Nepal?
Over the last ten years it is down 94.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Nepal 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.