Sanitation facilities usage in rural areas in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Sanitation facilities usage in rural areas was 10.70 million people in 2024. ▲ Rising
Sanitation facilities usage in rural areas in Democratic Republic of Congo, 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 Democratic Republic of Congo stood at 10.70 million people. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.1% on the previous year and up 34.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, sanitation facilities usage in rural areas in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 10.70 million people in 2024 and was at its lowest, 4.82 million people, in 2000.
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 7th of 175 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
Sanitation facilities usage in rural areas in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 4.82 million people | — |
| 2001 | 5.01 million people | +3.9% |
| 2002 | 5.20 million people | +3.8% |
| 2003 | 5.39 million people | +3.6% |
| 2004 | 5.58 million people | +3.6% |
| 2005 | 5.79 million people | +3.7% |
| 2006 | 6.00 million people | +3.7% |
| 2007 | 6.21 million people | +3.6% |
| 2008 | 6.43 million people | +3.5% |
| 2009 | 6.66 million people | +3.6% |
| 2010 | 6.90 million people | +3.6% |
| 2011 | 7.16 million people | +3.7% |
| 2012 | 7.42 million people | +3.7% |
| 2013 | 7.70 million people | +3.7% |
| 2014 | 7.98 million people | +3.7% |
| 2015 | 8.27 million people | +3.6% |
| 2016 | 8.58 million people | +3.8% |
| 2017 | 8.91 million people | +3.9% |
| 2018 | 9.22 million people | +3.5% |
| 2019 | 9.52 million people | +3.3% |
| 2020 | 9.83 million people | +3.3% |
| 2021 | 10.05 million people | +2.2% |
| 2022 | 10.26 million people | +2.1% |
| 2023 | 10.48 million people | +2.1% |
| 2024 | 10.70 million people | +2.1% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 10.70 million people is above the median for low income countries, which is 1.69 million people, 6.3× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 10.70 million people is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.16 million people, 9.2× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 5.71 million people | 4.82 million people | 6.66 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.17 million people | 6.90 million people | 9.52 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.26 million people | 9.83 million people | 10.70 million people | 5 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
More reference data data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.44 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - Enteric 3,057 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 6.66 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - Burning - Crop 235.34 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Manure left on Pasture 1,764 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.82 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Manure Management 601.15 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CH4) - IPCC Agriculture 140.16 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 11.56 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Manure applied to Soils 313.43 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is sanitation facilities usage in rural areas in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Sanitation facilities usage in rural areas in Democratic Republic of Congo was 10.70 million 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 Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 10.70 million people in 2024.
- What is the lowest sanitation facilities usage in rural areas recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.82 million people in 2000.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for sanitation facilities usage in rural areas?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 7th out of 175 countries with data for 2024.
- Is sanitation facilities usage in rural areas rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 34.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo 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.
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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.