Sanitation facilities usage in urban areas in Lesotho

Lesotho: Sanitation facilities usage in urban areas was 26,802 people in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
26,802 people
Change on year
down 2.8%
World rank
52nd
of 186 countries
All-time high
34,337 people
in 2001
All-time low
26,802 people
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

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

010.0k20.0k30.0k2000201220242000: 34.3k people2001: 34.3k people2002: 34.3k people2003: 34.1k people2004: 33.9k people2005: 33.5k people2006: 33.3k people2007: 33.2k people2008: 33.1k people2009: 33.1k people2010: 33.0k people2011: 32.9k people2012: 32.6k people2013: 32.3k people2014: 32.1k people2015: 31.7k people2016: 31.4k people2017: 31.0k people2018: 30.6k people2019: 30.1k people2020: 29.5k people2021: 29.0k people2022: 28.3k people2023: 27.6k people2024: 26.8k 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 Lesotho stood at 26,802 people. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

That represents a change of down 2.8% on the previous year and down 16.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, sanitation facilities usage in urban areas in Lesotho peaked at 34,337 people in 2001 and was at its lowest, 26,802 people, in 2024.

Lesotho ranks 52nd of 186 countries on this measure, 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 33,706 people 33,051 people 34,337 people 10
2010s 31,766 people 30,085 people 32,958 people 10
2020s 28,232 people 26,802 people 29,549 people 5

Countries ranked near Lesotho

  1. 49 Tunisia 30,561 people compare
  2. 50 Equatorial Guinea 28,499 people compare
  3. 51 Gabon 28,206 people compare
  4. 53 Botswana 25,478 people compare
  5. 54 Djibouti 24,517 people compare
  6. 55 Morocco 20,780 people compare

See the full ranking of 186 places →

More reference data data for Lesotho

All data for Lesotho →

Frequently asked questions

What is sanitation facilities usage in urban areas in Lesotho?
Sanitation facilities usage in urban areas in Lesotho was 26,802 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 Lesotho?
The highest recorded value was 34,337 people in 2001.
What is the lowest sanitation facilities usage in urban areas recorded in Lesotho?
The lowest recorded value was 26,802 people in 2024.
How does Lesotho rank for sanitation facilities usage in urban areas?
Lesotho ranks 52nd out of 186 countries with data for 2024.
Is sanitation facilities usage in urban areas rising or falling in Lesotho?
Over the last ten years it is down 16.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Lesotho 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.