Sanitation facilities usage in urban areas by country

Open defecation includes defecating in fields, forests, bushes, bodies of water or other open spaces, not using any sanitation facilities.

Countries reporting
183
Highest
9.10 million people
Nigeria
Lowest
0 people
Saint Barthelemy
Median
98.33 people
Years covered
25
2000–2024
Data points
4,553

What the numbers show

Sanitation facilities usage in urban areas is currently reported for 183 countries. The highest value is 9.10 million people in Nigeria; the lowest is 0 people in Saint Barthelemy.

The median across all reporting countries is 98.33 people, and the mean is 174,145 people.

Over the past decade 37 countries rose and 92 fell. The largest increase was in Samoa (up 203.7%), and the largest decrease in Afghanistan (down 100.0%).

Sanitation facilities usage in urban areas: full country ranking

#Country LatestYear 10-year changeTrend
1 Nigeria 9.10 million people 2024 up 10.4% rising
2 Benin 2.16 million people 2024 up 33.0% rising
3 Democratic Republic of Congo 2.05 million people 2024 up 76.7% rising
4 Indonesia 2.04 million people 2024 down 76.5% falling
5 Ghana 1.88 million people 2024 up 47.8% rising
6 Madagascar 1.77 million people 2024 up 25.6% rising
7 Angola 1.71 million people 2022 up 16.0% rising
8 Ethiopia 831,641 people 2024 down 57.7% falling
9 Chad 769,419 people 2024 up 48.3% rising
10 Cote d'Ivoire 742,443 people 2024 up 12.8% rising
11 Mozambique 610,506 people 2024 down 44.3% falling
12 Philippines 588,751 people 2024 down 55.6% falling
13 Sudan 563,713 people 2024 down 61.6% falling
14 Haiti 563,678 people 2023 up 24.2% rising
15 Pakistan 461,905 people 2024 down 68.5% falling
16 South Sudan 436,434 people 2024 down 37.3% falling
17 Liberia 421,538 people 2024 down 7.0% rising
18 Togo 402,583 people 2024 down 10.9% flat
19 Eritrea 399,152 people 2016 up 25.2% rising
20 Burkina Faso 378,322 people 2024 up 10.8% rising
21 Niger 370,051 people 2024 down 15.2% falling
22 Namibia 333,926 people 2024 up 73.6% rising
23 Uganda 247,091 people 2024 up 64.4% rising
24 Colombia 197,754 people 2024 down 49.0% falling
25 South Africa 177,162 people 2024 down 62.1% falling
26 Somalia 161,906 people 2024 down 48.4% falling
27 Central African Republic 160,881 people 2024 up 47.0% rising
28 Cameroon 158,114 people 2024 up 35.9% rising
29 Nepal 158,099 people 2024 down 66.3% falling
30 Mali 154,026 people 2024 up 6.4% rising
31 Myanmar 143,883 people 2024 down 5.7% falling
32 Sierra Leone 141,560 people 2024 up 1.2% rising
33 Peru 141,242 people 2024 down 81.7% falling
34 Tanzania 137,437 people 2024 down 36.9% falling
35 Kenya 127,251 people 2024 down 31.3% falling
36 Dominican Republic 104,633 people 2024 down 21.9% falling
37 Senegal 94,848 people 2024 down 28.1% falling
38 Papua New Guinea 78,167 people 2024 up 63.8% rising
39 Honduras 73,595 people 2024 down 32.0% falling
40 Zambia 68,274 people 2024 down 42.0% falling
41 Yemen 66,044 people 2024 down 70.1% falling
42 Guatemala 62,660 people 2024 down 55.6% falling
43 Congo 62,149 people 2021 up 4.9% rising
44 Mauritania 56,408 people 2024 down 70.2% falling
45 Sao Tome and Principe 55,150 people 2024 down 9.6% rising
46 El Salvador 38,891 people 2024 down 28.9% falling
47 Guinea 38,116 people 2024 down 16.8% falling
48 Malawi 33,791 people 2024 down 16.7% falling
49 Tunisia 30,561 people 2024 up 6.3% rising
50 Equatorial Guinea 28,499 people 2017 down 11.9% falling
51 Gabon 28,206 people 2024 up 8.5% rising
52 Lesotho 26,802 people 2024 down 16.4% falling
53 Botswana 25,478 people 2024 down 19.0% falling
54 Djibouti 24,517 people 2023 down 4.6% falling
55 Morocco 20,780 people 2024 down 85.7% falling
56 Algeria 18,107 people 2024 down 77.6% volatile
57 Solomon Islands 16,737 people 2024 up 68.6% rising
58 Kiribati 15,726 people 2024 up 12.7% rising
59 Rwanda 13,826 people 2024 down 28.4% falling
60 Saudi Arabia 12,918 people 2024 up 20.2% rising
61 Jamaica 11,982 people 2024 up 11.5% rising
62 Syria 7,543 people 2024 up 37.2% rising
63 Cuba 7,486 people 2024 down 73.9% volatile
64 Tajikistan 6,463 people 2023 down 32.4% falling
65 Panama 6,297 people 2024 down 70.9% falling
66 Burundi 5,912 people 2024 down 44.2% falling
67 Jordan 5,144 people 2024 up 47.1% rising
68 Eswatini 4,464 people 2024 up 9.5% rising
69 Turkey 3,927 people 2024 down 87.2% volatile
70 Mongolia 3,371 people 2024 down 77.0% falling
71 Croatia 3,044 people 2021 down 4.1% flat
72 Comoros 2,908 people 2024 up 62.2% rising
73 Costa Rica 2,198 people 2024 down 74.3% falling
74 Iraq 2,073 people 2024 down 83.9% volatile
75 Serbia 1,850 people 2024 down 4.1% falling
76 Guinea-Bissau 1,702 people 2024 down 82.9% volatile
77 Vanuatu 1,592 people 2024 up 200.2% volatile
78 Belize 1,349 people 2022 down 0.9% falling
79 Gambia 1,335 people 2024 down 75.3% falling
80 Trinidad and Tobago 1,290 people 2024 up 162.9% volatile
81 Mauritius 1,201 people 2024 up 44.6% rising
82 Cape Verde 1,168 people 2024 down 97.5% volatile
83 Marshall Islands 1,104 people 2024 down 20.0% falling
84 Suriname 768.74 people 2024 up 30.4% rising
85 Saint Lucia 721.96 people 2022 down 55.1% volatile
86 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 635.38 people 2018 down 3.0% falling
87 Samoa 179.59 people 2024 up 203.7% volatile
88 Georgia 134.26 people 2024 up 94.3% volatile
89 Antigua and Barbuda 133.82 people 2024 down 32.7% falling
90 Guyana 109.92 people 2024 down 78.0% volatile
91 Tuvalu 107.38 people 2024 down 49.9% falling
92 Nauru 98.33 people 2024 down 32.4% falling
93 Anguilla 78.18 people 2017 down 53.1% falling
94 Sint Maarten (Dutch part) 51.23 people 2017 down 47.9% falling
95 Cook Islands 33.8 people 2024 up 60.2% volatile
96 Tonga 21.18 people 2024 up 2.2% rising
97 Afghanistan 0 people 2024 down 100.0% volatile
97 Albania 0 people 2024 down 100.0% volatile
97 Andorra 0 people 2024 flat
97 United Arab Emirates 0 people 2024 flat
97 Argentina 0 people 2024 down 100.0% volatile
97 Armenia 0 people 2024 down 100.0% volatile
97 Austria 0 people 2024 flat
97 Azerbaijan 0 people 2024 down 100.0% falling
97 Belgium 0 people 2024 flat
97 Bangladesh 0 people 2024 down 100.0% volatile
97 Bulgaria 0 people 2024 flat
97 Bosnia and Herzegovina 0 people 2024 volatile
97 Belarus 0 people 2024 flat
97 Bermuda 0 people 2024 flat
97 Bolivia 0 people 2024 down 100.0% volatile
97 Brazil 0 people 2024 down 100.0% volatile
97 Bhutan 0 people 2024 down 100.0% volatile
97 Canada 0 people 2024 flat
97 Switzerland 0 people 2024 flat
97 Chile 0 people 2024 down 100.0% volatile
97 China 0 people 2024 down 100.0% rising
97 Cayman Islands 0 people 2024 flat
97 Cyprus 0 people 2024 flat
97 Czechia 0 people 2024 flat
97 Germany 0 people 2024 flat
97 Denmark 0 people 2024 flat
97 Ecuador 0 people 2024 down 100.0% volatile
97 Egypt 0 people 2024 down 100.0% volatile
97 Spain 0 people 2024 flat
97 Estonia 0 people 2024 flat
97 Finland 0 people 2024 flat
97 Fiji 0 people 2024 down 100.0% volatile
97 France 0 people 2024 flat
97 United Kingdom 0 people 2024 flat
97 Gibraltar 0 people 2024 flat
97 Greece 0 people 2024 down 100.0% volatile
97 Hong Kong 0 people 2024 flat
97 Hungary 0 people 2024 flat
97 India 0 people 2024 down 100.0% volatile
97 Iran 0 people 2024 down 100.0% volatile
97 Iceland 0 people 2024 flat
97 Israel 0 people 2024 flat
97 Italy 0 people 2024 flat
97 Kazakhstan 0 people 2024 flat
97 Kyrgyzstan 0 people 2024 down 100.0% volatile
97 Cambodia 0 people 2024 down 100.0% volatile
97 Kuwait 0 people 2024 flat
97 Laos 0 people 2024 down 100.0% volatile
97 Sri Lanka 0 people 2024 down 100.0% volatile
97 Lithuania 0 people 2024 flat
97 Latvia 0 people 2024 flat
97 Macao 0 people 2024 flat
97 Saint Martin (French part) 0 people 2024 flat
97 Monaco 0 people 2024 flat
97 Moldova 0 people 2024 flat
97 Maldives 0 people 2024 down 100.0% volatile
97 Mexico 0 people 2024 down 100.0% volatile
97 North Macedonia 0 people 2024 flat
97 Montenegro 0 people 2024 down 100.0% volatile
97 Malaysia 0 people 2024 down 100.0% volatile
97 Netherlands 0 people 2024 flat
97 Norway 0 people 2024 flat
97 New Zealand 0 people 2024 flat
97 Oman 0 people 2024 volatile
97 Palau 0 people 2024 flat
97 Poland 0 people 2024 flat
97 North Korea 0 people 2023 flat
97 Portugal 0 people 2024 flat
97 Paraguay 0 people 2024 down 100.0% falling
97 Palestine 0 people 2024 down 100.0% volatile
97 Romania 0 people 2024 flat
97 Russia 0 people 2024 flat
97 Singapore 0 people 2024 flat
97 Slovakia 0 people 2024 flat
97 Sweden 0 people 2024 flat
97 Turks and Caicos Islands 0 people 2024 flat
97 Thailand 0 people 2024 down 100.0% volatile
97 Turkmenistan 0 people 2024 down 100.0% volatile
97 East Timor 0 people 2024 down 100.0% volatile
97 Ukraine 0 people 2024 flat
97 Uruguay 0 people 2024 down 100.0% volatile
97 United States 0 people 2024 flat
97 Uzbekistan 0 people 2024 flat
97 Vietnam 0 people 2024 down 100.0% volatile
97 Zimbabwe 0 people 2024 down 100.0% volatile
97 Falkland Islands 0 people 2024 flat
97 Saint Barthelemy 0 people 2024 flat

About this data

Indicator
Sanitation facilities usage in urban areas
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
186 places, 4,553 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed

Open defecation includes defecating in fields, forests, bushes, bodies of water or other open spaces, not using any sanitation facilities.