Sanitation facilities usage in urban areas in Nepal

Nepal: Sanitation facilities usage in urban areas was 158,099 people in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
158,099 people
Change on year
down 21.0%
World rank
29th
of 186 countries
All-time high
638,302 people
in 2001
All-time low
158,099 people
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

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

200.0k300.0k400.0k500.0k600.0k2000201220242000: 626.1k people2001: 638.3k people2002: 636.7k people2003: 633.3k people2004: 628.0k people2005: 620.5k people2006: 611.0k people2007: 599.5k people2008: 586.3k people2009: 571.3k people2010: 554.7k people2011: 535.9k people2012: 514.9k people2013: 492.4k people2014: 469.1k people2015: 445.6k people2016: 420.2k people2017: 392.2k people2018: 362.9k people2019: 335.2k people2020: 307.5k people2021: 276.5k people2022: 240.4k people2023: 200.2k people2024: 158.1k people

Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.

Analysis

The most recent figure for sanitation facilities usage in urban areas in Nepal is 158,099 people, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

That represents a change of down 21.0% on the previous year and down 66.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, sanitation facilities usage in urban areas in Nepal peaked at 638,302 people in 2001 and was at its lowest, 158,099 people, in 2024.

That places Nepal 29th out of 186 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 615,104 people 571,318 people 638,302 people 10
2010s 452,327 people 335,210 people 554,736 people 10
2020s 236,559 people 158,099 people 307,538 people 5

Countries ranked near Nepal

  1. 26 Somalia 161,906 people compare
  2. 27 Central African Republic 160,881 people compare
  3. 28 Cameroon 158,114 people compare
  4. 30 Mali 154,026 people compare
  5. 31 Myanmar 143,883 people compare
  6. 32 Sierra Leone 141,560 people compare

See the full ranking of 186 places →

More reference data data for Nepal

All data for Nepal →

Frequently asked questions

What is sanitation facilities usage in urban areas in Nepal?
Sanitation facilities usage in urban areas in Nepal was 158,099 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 Nepal?
The highest recorded value was 638,302 people in 2001.
What is the lowest sanitation facilities usage in urban areas recorded in Nepal?
The lowest recorded value was 158,099 people in 2024.
How does Nepal rank for sanitation facilities usage in urban areas?
Nepal ranks 29th out of 186 countries with data for 2024.
Is sanitation facilities usage in urban areas rising or falling in Nepal?
Over the last ten years it is down 66.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Nepal 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.