People not using safely managed sanitation facilities in Ireland
Ireland: People not using safely managed sanitation facilities was 984,706 people in 2024. ▼ Falling
People not using safely managed sanitation facilities in Ireland, 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
Ireland recorded 984,706 people for people not using safely managed sanitation facilities in 2024.
That represents a change of down 0.2% on the previous year and down 17.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, people not using safely managed sanitation facilities in Ireland peaked at 1.64 million people in 2000 and was at its lowest, 974,962 people, in 2018.
Ireland ranks 89th of 150 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
People not using safely managed sanitation facilities in Ireland, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 1.64 million people | — |
| 2001 | 1.62 million people | -1.0% |
| 2002 | 1.60 million people | -0.9% |
| 2003 | 1.59 million people | -1.1% |
| 2004 | 1.57 million people | -1.0% |
| 2005 | 1.56 million people | -0.7% |
| 2006 | 1.55 million people | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 1.54 million people | -0.7% |
| 2008 | 1.51 million people | -1.7% |
| 2009 | 1.47 million people | -2.9% |
| 2010 | 1.41 million people | -3.6% |
| 2011 | 1.36 million people | -3.9% |
| 2012 | 1.30 million people | -4.2% |
| 2013 | 1.25 million people | -4.3% |
| 2014 | 1.19 million people | -4.4% |
| 2015 | 1.14 million people | -4.5% |
| 2016 | 1.08 million people | -4.8% |
| 2017 | 1.03 million people | -5.1% |
| 2018 | 974,962 people | -5.1% |
| 2019 | 977,394 people | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 977,063 people | -0.0% |
| 2021 | 975,695 people | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 980,793 people | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 986,279 people | +0.6% |
| 2024 | 984,706 people | -0.2% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 984,706 people is above the median for high income countries, which is 481,577 people, 2.0× the median. (60 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 984,706 people is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 837,185 people, 1.2× the median. (49 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1.56 million people | 1.47 million people | 1.64 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.17 million people | 974,962 people | 1.41 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 980,907 people | 975,695 people | 986,279 people | 5 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More reference data data for Ireland
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.45 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.19 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 4.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0921 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 4.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 4.87 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 3.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 5.6 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 21.02 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.5015 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is people not using safely managed sanitation facilities in Ireland?
- People not using safely managed sanitation facilities in Ireland was 984,706 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 not using safely managed sanitation facilities recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 1.64 million people in 2000.
- What is the lowest people not using safely managed sanitation facilities recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 974,962 people in 2018.
- How does Ireland rank for people not using safely managed sanitation facilities?
- Ireland ranks 89th out of 150 countries with data for 2024.
- Is people not using safely managed sanitation facilities rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ireland 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 not using safely managed 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
People not using safely managed sanitation services might practice open defecation, use unimproved sanitation facilities, or use improved facilities that do not safely manage human waste.