Sanitation facilities usage in urban areas in Pakistan

Pakistan: Sanitation facilities usage in urban areas was 461,905 people in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
461,905 people
Change on year
down 21.2%
World rank
15th
of 186 countries
All-time high
1.96 million people
in 2003
All-time low
461,905 people
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

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

500.0k1.0M1.5M2.0M2000201220242000: 1.8M people2001: 1.8M people2002: 1.9M people2003: 2.0M people2004: 1.9M people2005: 1.9M people2006: 1.9M people2007: 1.8M people2008: 1.8M people2009: 1.8M people2010: 1.7M people2011: 1.7M people2012: 1.6M people2013: 1.5M people2014: 1.5M people2015: 1.4M people2016: 1.3M people2017: 1.2M people2018: 1.1M people2019: 1.0M people2020: 919.1k people2021: 815.1k people2022: 704.1k people2023: 586.0k people2024: 461.9k 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 Pakistan stood at 461,905 people. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

That represents a change of down 21.2% on the previous year and down 68.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, sanitation facilities usage in urban areas in Pakistan peaked at 1.96 million people in 2003 and was at its lowest, 461,905 people, in 2024.

That places Pakistan 15th 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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 1.87 million people 1.78 million people 1.96 million people 10
2010s 1.41 million people 1.02 million people 1.73 million people 10
2020s 697,253 people 461,905 people 919,119 people 5

Countries ranked near Pakistan

  1. 12 Philippines 588,751 people compare
  2. 13 Sudan 563,713 people compare
  3. 14 Haiti 563,678 people compare
  4. 16 South Sudan 436,434 people compare
  5. 17 Liberia 421,538 people compare
  6. 18 Togo 402,583 people compare

See the full ranking of 186 places →

More reference data data for Pakistan

All data for Pakistan →

Frequently asked questions

What is sanitation facilities usage in urban areas in Pakistan?
Sanitation facilities usage in urban areas in Pakistan was 461,905 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 Pakistan?
The highest recorded value was 1.96 million people in 2003.
What is the lowest sanitation facilities usage in urban areas recorded in Pakistan?
The lowest recorded value was 461,905 people in 2024.
How does Pakistan rank for sanitation facilities usage in urban areas?
Pakistan ranks 15th out of 186 countries with data for 2024.
Is sanitation facilities usage in urban areas rising or falling in Pakistan?
Over the last ten years it is down 68.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Pakistan 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.