People in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in Panama

Panama: People in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities was 361,254 people in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
361,254 people
Change on year
down 3.6%
World rank
70th
of 175 countries
All-time high
578,069 people
in 2000
All-time low
361,254 people
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

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

0200.0k400.0k600.0k2000201220242000: 578.1k people2001: 573.1k people2002: 567.9k people2003: 562.4k people2004: 556.6k people2005: 550.5k people2006: 544.0k people2007: 537.1k people2008: 530.0k people2009: 522.6k people2010: 514.8k people2011: 506.7k people2012: 498.2k people2013: 489.2k people2014: 479.9k people2015: 470.2k people2016: 460.3k people2017: 449.9k people2018: 439.1k people2019: 427.6k people2020: 415.0k people2021: 401.6k people2022: 388.2k people2023: 374.9k people2024: 361.3k people

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

Analysis

Panama recorded 361,254 people for people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

The figure is down 3.6% on the previous year and down 24.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in Panama peaked at 578,069 people in 2000 and was at its lowest, 361,254 people, in 2024.

That places Panama 70th 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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 552,232 people 522,582 people 578,069 people 10
2010s 473,598 people 427,639 people 514,844 people 10
2020s 388,198 people 361,254 people 415,043 people 5

Countries ranked near Panama

  1. 67 Solomon Islands 469,132 people compare
  2. 68 Nepal 426,800 people compare
  3. 69 Mongolia 366,299 people compare
  4. 71 Ecuador 352,323 people compare
  5. 72 Iraq 305,136 people compare
  6. 73 Georgia 279,597 people compare

See the full ranking of 175 places →

More reference data data for Panama

All data for Panama →

Frequently asked questions

What is people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in Panama?
People in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in Panama was 361,254 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 Panama?
The highest recorded value was 578,069 people in 2000.
What is the lowest people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities recorded in Panama?
The lowest recorded value was 361,254 people in 2024.
How does Panama rank for people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities?
Panama ranks 70th out of 175 countries with data for 2024.
Is people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities rising or falling in Panama?
Over the last ten years it is down 24.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Panama 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.