Sanitation facilities usage in urban areas in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Sanitation facilities usage in urban areas was 831,641 people in 2024. ▼ Falling
Sanitation facilities usage in urban areas in Ethiopia, 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 urban areas in Ethiopia stood at 831,641 people. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
That represents a change of down 18.4% on the previous year and down 57.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, sanitation facilities usage in urban areas in Ethiopia peaked at 2.10 million people in 2004 and was at its lowest, 831,641 people, in 2024.
That places Ethiopia 8th out of 186 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Sanitation facilities usage in urban areas in Ethiopia, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 2.07 million people | — |
| 2001 | 2.08 million people | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 2.09 million people | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 2.10 million people | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 2.10 million people | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 2.10 million people | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 2.09 million people | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 2.08 million people | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 2.09 million people | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 2.09 million people | -0.0% |
| 2010 | 2.08 million people | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 2.07 million people | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 2.05 million people | -1.1% |
| 2013 | 2.01 million people | -1.7% |
| 2014 | 1.97 million people | -2.2% |
| 2015 | 1.91 million people | -2.7% |
| 2016 | 1.85 million people | -3.3% |
| 2017 | 1.77 million people | -4.1% |
| 2018 | 1.69 million people | -5.0% |
| 2019 | 1.58 million people | -6.0% |
| 2020 | 1.47 million people | -7.3% |
| 2021 | 1.34 million people | -9.0% |
| 2022 | 1.19 million people | -11.2% |
| 2023 | 1.02 million people | -14.1% |
| 2024 | 831,641 people | -18.4% |
Ethiopia compared with similar countries
- Ethiopia's 831,641 people is above the median for low income countries, which is 161,906 people, 5.1× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Ethiopia's 831,641 people is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 154,026 people, 5.4× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 2.09 million people | 2.07 million people | 2.10 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.90 million people | 1.58 million people | 2.08 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.17 million people | 831,641 people | 1.47 million people | 5 |
Countries ranked near Ethiopia
- 5 Ghana 1.88 million people compare
- 6 Madagascar 1.77 million people compare
- 7 Angola 1.71 million people compare
- 9 Chad 769,419 people compare
- 10 Cote d'Ivoire 742,443 people compare
- 11 Mozambique 610,506 people compare
More reference data data for Ethiopia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.6564 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 20.69 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 25.11 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 25.11 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 2.2 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.1 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 100.94 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 121.79 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 7.47 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is sanitation facilities usage in urban areas in Ethiopia?
- Sanitation facilities usage in urban areas in Ethiopia was 831,641 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 urban areas recorded in Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 2.10 million people in 2004.
- What is the lowest sanitation facilities usage in urban areas recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 831,641 people in 2024.
- How does Ethiopia rank for sanitation facilities usage in urban areas?
- Ethiopia ranks 8th out of 186 countries with data for 2024.
- Is sanitation facilities usage in urban areas rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 57.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ethiopia 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 urban 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.