People not using safely managed sanitation facilities in South Korea

South Korea: People not using safely managed sanitation facilities was 347,316 people in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
347,316 people
Change on year
up 2.4%
World rank
114th
of 150 countries
All-time high
6.14 million people
in 2000
All-time low
339,084 people
in 2023
Years of data
25
2000–2024

People not using safely managed sanitation facilities in South Korea, 2000–2024

02.0M4.0M6.0M2000201220242000: 6.1M people2001: 5.9M people2002: 5.6M people2003: 5.4M people2004: 5.1M people2005: 4.8M people2006: 4.6M people2007: 4.3M people2008: 4.0M people2009: 3.8M people2010: 3.5M people2011: 3.2M people2012: 3.0M people2013: 2.7M people2014: 2.4M people2015: 2.1M people2016: 1.8M people2017: 1.5M people2018: 1.2M people2019: 898.7k people2020: 584.6k people2021: 416.9k people2022: 373.0k people2023: 339.1k people2024: 347.3k people

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

Analysis

In 2024, people not using safely managed sanitation facilities in South Korea stood at 347,316 people.

The figure is up 2.4% on the previous year and down 85.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, people not using safely managed sanitation facilities in South Korea peaked at 6.14 million people in 2000 and was at its lowest, 339,084 people, in 2023.

South Korea ranks 114th of 150 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 4.97 million people 3.76 million people 6.14 million people 10
2010s 2.23 million people 898,670 people 3.48 million people 10
2020s 412,175 people 339,084 people 584,634 people 5

Countries ranked near South Korea

  1. 111 Comoros 438,900 people compare
  2. 112 Bhutan 399,869 people compare
  3. 113 Hong Kong 383,026 people compare
  4. 115 Slovenia 327,495 people compare
  5. 116 Montenegro 313,714 people compare
  6. 117 Cyprus 312,785 people compare

See the full ranking of 150 places →

More reference data data for South Korea

All data for South Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is people not using safely managed sanitation facilities in South Korea?
People not using safely managed sanitation facilities in South Korea was 347,316 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 South Korea?
The highest recorded value was 6.14 million people in 2000.
What is the lowest people not using safely managed sanitation facilities recorded in South Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 339,084 people in 2023.
How does South Korea rank for people not using safely managed sanitation facilities?
South Korea ranks 114th out of 150 countries with data for 2024.
Is people not using safely managed sanitation facilities rising or falling in South Korea?
Over the last ten years it is down 85.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this South Korea 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

Indicator
People not using safely managed 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
150 places, 3,667 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed

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.