People in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: People in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities was 6.84 million people in 2024. ▲ Rising
People in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in Papua New Guinea, 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
In 2024, people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in Papua New Guinea stood at 6.84 million people. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.
The figure is up 0.7% on the previous year and up 13.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in Papua New Guinea peaked at 6.84 million people in 2024 and was at its lowest, 4.23 million people, in 2000.
That places Papua New Guinea 26th out of 175 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
People in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in Papua New Guinea, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 4.23 million people | — |
| 2001 | 4.38 million people | +3.5% |
| 2002 | 4.53 million people | +3.4% |
| 2003 | 4.68 million people | +3.4% |
| 2004 | 4.84 million people | +3.4% |
| 2005 | 4.96 million people | +2.5% |
| 2006 | 5.09 million people | +2.5% |
| 2007 | 5.21 million people | +2.4% |
| 2008 | 5.34 million people | +2.4% |
| 2009 | 5.46 million people | +2.3% |
| 2010 | 5.59 million people | +2.3% |
| 2011 | 5.71 million people | +2.2% |
| 2012 | 5.83 million people | +2.0% |
| 2013 | 5.94 million people | +1.9% |
| 2014 | 6.05 million people | +1.8% |
| 2015 | 6.15 million people | +1.7% |
| 2016 | 6.25 million people | +1.6% |
| 2017 | 6.35 million people | +1.5% |
| 2018 | 6.44 million people | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 6.53 million people | +1.3% |
| 2020 | 6.61 million people | +1.2% |
| 2021 | 6.67 million people | +1.0% |
| 2022 | 6.73 million people | +0.9% |
| 2023 | 6.79 million people | +0.8% |
| 2024 | 6.84 million people | +0.7% |
Papua New Guinea compared with similar countries
- Papua New Guinea's 6.84 million people is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.54 million people, 4.4× the median. (44 countries reporting)
- Papua New Guinea's 6.84 million people is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 169,853 people, 40.3× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 4.87 million people | 4.23 million people | 5.46 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.08 million people | 5.59 million people | 6.53 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.73 million people | 6.61 million people | 6.84 million people | 5 |
Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea
More reference data data for Papua New Guinea
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.2042 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.0498 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.3515 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0007 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.3515 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.6846 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.5295 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.2811 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.89 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0038 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in Papua New Guinea?
- People in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in Papua New Guinea was 6.84 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 Papua New Guinea?
- The highest recorded value was 6.84 million people in 2024.
- What is the lowest people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.23 million people in 2000.
- How does Papua New Guinea rank for people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities?
- Papua New Guinea ranks 26th out of 175 countries with data for 2024.
- Is people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Papua New Guinea 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.