Sanitation facilities usage in rural areas in Botswana
Botswana: Sanitation facilities usage in rural areas was 111,298 people in 2024. ▼ Falling
Sanitation facilities usage in rural areas in Botswana, 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, sanitation facilities usage in rural areas in Botswana stood at 111,298 people. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 6.9% on the previous year and down 45.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, sanitation facilities usage in rural areas in Botswana peaked at 338,285 people in 2000 and was at its lowest, 111,298 people, in 2024.
Botswana ranks 63rd of 175 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.
Sanitation facilities usage in rural areas in Botswana, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 338,285 people | — |
| 2001 | 330,424 people | -2.3% |
| 2002 | 324,236 people | -1.9% |
| 2003 | 317,854 people | -2.0% |
| 2004 | 311,307 people | -2.1% |
| 2005 | 304,763 people | -2.1% |
| 2006 | 298,277 people | -2.1% |
| 2007 | 284,592 people | -4.6% |
| 2008 | 271,184 people | -4.7% |
| 2009 | 258,081 people | -4.8% |
| 2010 | 245,205 people | -5.0% |
| 2011 | 232,154 people | -5.3% |
| 2012 | 221,992 people | -4.4% |
| 2013 | 212,100 people | -4.5% |
| 2014 | 202,179 people | -4.7% |
| 2015 | 192,309 people | -4.9% |
| 2016 | 182,538 people | -5.1% |
| 2017 | 172,899 people | -5.3% |
| 2018 | 163,446 people | -5.5% |
| 2019 | 154,180 people | -5.7% |
| 2020 | 145,123 people | -5.9% |
| 2021 | 136,320 people | -6.1% |
| 2022 | 127,798 people | -6.3% |
| 2023 | 119,485 people | -6.5% |
| 2024 | 111,298 people | -6.9% |
Botswana compared with similar countries
- Botswana's 111,298 people is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1,980 people, 56.2× the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Botswana's 111,298 people is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.16 million people, 10% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 303,900 people | 258,081 people | 338,285 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 197,900 people | 154,180 people | 245,205 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 128,005 people | 111,298 people | 145,123 people | 5 |
Countries ranked near Botswana
More reference data data for Botswana
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0472 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.42 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0078 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.42 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1582 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.0825 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 6.97 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 7.25 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0424 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is sanitation facilities usage in rural areas in Botswana?
- Sanitation facilities usage in rural areas in Botswana was 111,298 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 sanitation facilities usage in rural areas recorded in Botswana?
- The highest recorded value was 338,285 people in 2000.
- What is the lowest sanitation facilities usage in rural areas recorded in Botswana?
- The lowest recorded value was 111,298 people in 2024.
- How does Botswana rank for sanitation facilities usage in rural areas?
- Botswana ranks 63rd out of 175 countries with data for 2024.
- Is sanitation facilities usage in rural areas rising or falling in Botswana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 45.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Botswana 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 Sanitation facilities usage in rural areas. 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
Open defecation includes defecating in fields, forests, bushes, bodies of water or other open spaces, not using any sanitation facilities.