People in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in United Kingdom

United Kingdom: People in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities was 23,514 people in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
23,514 people
Change on year
down 0.9%
World rank
106th
of 175 countries
All-time high
28,368 people
in 2000
All-time low
23,514 people
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

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

010.0k20.0k30.0k2000201220242000: 28.4k people2001: 28.3k people2002: 28.1k people2003: 27.8k people2004: 27.6k people2005: 27.4k people2006: 27.2k people2007: 27.0k people2008: 26.9k people2009: 26.7k people2010: 26.5k people2011: 26.3k people2012: 26.1k people2013: 25.9k people2014: 25.7k people2015: 25.6k people2016: 25.4k people2017: 25.2k people2018: 24.9k people2019: 24.7k people2020: 24.4k people2021: 24.1k people2022: 23.9k people2023: 23.7k people2024: 23.5k people

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 United Kingdom stood at 23,514 people. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

That represents a change of down 0.9% on the previous year and down 8.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in United Kingdom peaked at 28,368 people in 2000 and was at its lowest, 23,514 people, in 2024.

That places United Kingdom 106th 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 27,532 people 26,678 people 28,368 people 10
2010s 25,637 people 24,685 people 26,507 people 10
2020s 23,941 people 23,514 people 24,394 people 5

Countries ranked near United Kingdom

  1. 103 Kiribati 29,694 people compare
  2. 104 Belize 27,996 people compare
  3. 105 Syria 23,943 people compare
  4. 107 Tunisia 21,675 people compare
  5. 108 Belarus 19,324 people compare
  6. 109 Suriname 18,657 people compare

See the full ranking of 175 places →

More reference data data for United Kingdom

All data for United Kingdom →

Frequently asked questions

What is people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in United Kingdom?
People in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities in United Kingdom was 23,514 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 United Kingdom?
The highest recorded value was 28,368 people in 2000.
What is the lowest people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities recorded in United Kingdom?
The lowest recorded value was 23,514 people in 2024.
How does United Kingdom rank for people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities?
United Kingdom ranks 106th out of 175 countries with data for 2024.
Is people in rural areas not using improved sanitation facilities rising or falling in United Kingdom?
Over the last ten years it is down 8.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this United Kingdom 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.