Sanitation facilities usage in rural areas in Malawi
Malawi: Sanitation facilities usage in rural areas was 387,153 people in 2024. ▼ Falling
Sanitation facilities usage in rural areas in Malawi, 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
Malawi recorded 387,153 people for sanitation facilities usage in rural areas in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
That represents a change of down 19.8% on the previous year and down 66.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, sanitation facilities usage in rural areas in Malawi peaked at 1.61 million people in 2000 and was at its lowest, 387,153 people, in 2024.
That places Malawi 46th 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.
Sanitation facilities usage in rural areas in Malawi, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 1.61 million people | — |
| 2001 | 1.59 million people | -1.4% |
| 2002 | 1.57 million people | -1.5% |
| 2003 | 1.54 million people | -1.6% |
| 2004 | 1.52 million people | -1.6% |
| 2005 | 1.49 million people | -1.7% |
| 2006 | 1.46 million people | -1.9% |
| 2007 | 1.43 million people | -2.0% |
| 2008 | 1.40 million people | -2.1% |
| 2009 | 1.37 million people | -2.4% |
| 2010 | 1.33 million people | -2.7% |
| 2011 | 1.29 million people | -3.0% |
| 2012 | 1.25 million people | -3.4% |
| 2013 | 1.20 million people | -3.9% |
| 2014 | 1.15 million people | -4.4% |
| 2015 | 1.09 million people | -5.0% |
| 2016 | 1.03 million people | -5.6% |
| 2017 | 964,620 people | -6.3% |
| 2018 | 895,213 people | -7.2% |
| 2019 | 821,545 people | -8.2% |
| 2020 | 743,578 people | -9.5% |
| 2021 | 661,078 people | -11.1% |
| 2022 | 574,123 people | -13.2% |
| 2023 | 482,851 people | -15.9% |
| 2024 | 387,153 people | -19.8% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 387,153 people is below the median for low income countries, which is 1.69 million people, 23% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 387,153 people is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.16 million people, 33% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1.50 million people | 1.37 million people | 1.61 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.10 million people | 821,545 people | 1.33 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 569,757 people | 387,153 people | 743,578 people | 5 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
More reference data data for Malawi
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1596 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.09 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 3.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.3426 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 3.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.5353 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.6012 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 4.92 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 16.7 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.87 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is sanitation facilities usage in rural areas in Malawi?
- Sanitation facilities usage in rural areas in Malawi was 387,153 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 Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 1.61 million people in 2000.
- What is the lowest sanitation facilities usage in rural areas recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 387,153 people in 2024.
- How does Malawi rank for sanitation facilities usage in rural areas?
- Malawi ranks 46th out of 175 countries with data for 2024.
- Is sanitation facilities usage in rural areas rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 66.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malawi 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.