Sanitation facilities usage in urban areas in Gambia

Gambia: Sanitation facilities usage in urban areas was 1,335 people in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
1,335 people
Change on year
down 29.9%
World rank
79th
of 186 countries
All-time high
6,484 people
in 2003
All-time low
1,335 people
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

Sanitation facilities usage in urban areas in Gambia, 2000–2024

2.0k4.0k6.0k2000201220242000: 6.4k people2001: 6.4k people2002: 6.5k people2003: 6.5k people2004: 6.5k people2005: 6.4k people2006: 6.4k people2007: 6.3k people2008: 6.3k people2009: 6.2k people2010: 6.1k people2011: 5.9k people2012: 5.8k people2013: 5.6k people2014: 5.4k people2015: 5.2k people2016: 4.9k people2017: 4.5k people2018: 4.2k people2019: 3.8k people2020: 3.4k people2021: 2.9k people2022: 2.4k people2023: 1.9k people2024: 1.3k people

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 Gambia stood at 1,335 people. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 29.9% on the previous year and down 75.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, sanitation facilities usage in urban areas in Gambia peaked at 6,484 people in 2003 and was at its lowest, 1,335 people, in 2024.

That places Gambia 79th out of 186 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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 6,392 people 6,188 people 6,484 people 10
2010s 5,139 people 3,807 people 6,078 people 10
2020s 2,398 people 1,335 people 3,385 people 5

Countries ranked near Gambia

  1. 76 Guinea-Bissau 1,702 people compare
  2. 77 Vanuatu 1,592 people compare
  3. 78 Belize 1,349 people compare
  4. 80 Trinidad and Tobago 1,290 people compare
  5. 81 Mauritius 1,201 people compare
  6. 82 Cape Verde 1,168 people compare

See the full ranking of 186 places →

More reference data data for Gambia

All data for Gambia →

Frequently asked questions

What is sanitation facilities usage in urban areas in Gambia?
Sanitation facilities usage in urban areas in Gambia was 1,335 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 Gambia?
The highest recorded value was 6,484 people in 2003.
What is the lowest sanitation facilities usage in urban areas recorded in Gambia?
The lowest recorded value was 1,335 people in 2024.
How does Gambia rank for sanitation facilities usage in urban areas?
Gambia ranks 79th out of 186 countries with data for 2024.
Is sanitation facilities usage in urban areas rising or falling in Gambia?
Over the last ten years it is down 75.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Gambia 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.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

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.