People in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in East Timor

East Timor: People in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities was 169,853 people in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
169,853 people
Change on year
down 14.9%
World rank
79th
of 175 countries
All-time high
597,028 people
in 2003
All-time low
169,853 people
in 2024
Years of data
23
2002–2024

People in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in East Timor, 2002–2024

200.0k300.0k400.0k500.0k600.0k2002201320242002: 597.0k people2003: 597.0k people2004: 579.3k people2005: 565.5k people2006: 556.1k people2007: 545.3k people2008: 532.9k people2009: 518.6k people2010: 503.0k people2011: 486.0k people2012: 467.7k people2013: 448.0k people2014: 427.1k people2015: 405.3k people2016: 382.6k people2017: 359.1k people2018: 335.0k people2019: 310.1k people2020: 284.4k people2021: 257.6k people2022: 229.2k people2023: 199.6k people2024: 169.9k 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 East Timor is 169,853 people, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 23 years on record.

The figure is down 14.9% on the previous year and down 60.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in East Timor peaked at 597,028 people in 2003 and was at its lowest, 169,853 people, in 2024.

That places East Timor 79th 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 23 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 561,467 people 518,617 people 597,028 people 8
2010s 412,396 people 310,146 people 502,976 people 10
2020s 228,154 people 169,853 people 284,430 people 5

Countries ranked near East Timor

  1. 76 Botswana 192,737 people compare
  2. 77 Djibouti 187,319 people compare
  3. 78 Comoros 171,732 people compare
  4. 80 Equatorial Guinea 161,933 people compare
  5. 81 Armenia 154,504 people compare
  6. 82 Gabon 154,235 people compare

See the full ranking of 175 places →

More reference data data for East Timor

All data for East Timor →

Frequently asked questions

What is people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in East Timor?
People in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in East Timor was 169,853 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 East Timor?
The highest recorded value was 597,028 people in 2003.
What is the lowest people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities recorded in East Timor?
The lowest recorded value was 169,853 people in 2024.
How does East Timor rank for people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities?
East Timor ranks 79th out of 175 countries with data for 2024.
Is people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities rising or falling in East Timor?
Over the last ten years it is down 60.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this East Timor 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 — 23 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.