Sanitation facilities coverage in urban areas in South Africa

South Africa: Sanitation facilities coverage in urban areas was 177,162 in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
177,162
Change on year
down 16.9%
World rank
25th
of 186 countries
All-time high
692,773
in 2000
All-time low
177,162
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

Sanitation facilities coverage in urban areas in South Africa, 2000–2024

200.0k400.0k600.0k2000201220242000: 692.8k2001: 679.8k2002: 667.3k2003: 654.6k2004: 641.1k2005: 626.8k2006: 611.7k2007: 595.9k2008: 579.7k2009: 562.8k2010: 544.7k2011: 526.0k2012: 507.3k2013: 488.3k2014: 468.0k2015: 447.9k2016: 421.6k2017: 393.2k2018: 367.6k2019: 340.3k2020: 311.3k2021: 280.5k2022: 247.8k2023: 213.3k2024: 177.2k

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2024, sanitation facilities coverage in urban areas in South Africa stood at 177,162. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

The figure is down 16.9% on the previous year and down 62.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, sanitation facilities coverage in urban areas in South Africa peaked at 692,773 in 2000 and was at its lowest, 177,162, in 2024.

That places South Africa 25th 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 631,248 562,762 692,773 10
2010s 450,480 340,274 544,741 10
2020s 246,019 177,162 311,317 5

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 22 Namibia 333,926 compare
  2. 23 Uganda 247,091 compare
  3. 24 Colombia 197,754 compare
  4. 26 Somalia 161,906 compare
  5. 27 Central African Republic 160,881 compare
  6. 28 Cameroon 158,114 compare

See the full ranking of 186 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is sanitation facilities coverage in urban areas in South Africa?
Sanitation facilities coverage in urban areas in South Africa was 177,162 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest sanitation facilities coverage in urban areas recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 692,773 in 2000.
What is the lowest sanitation facilities coverage in urban areas recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 177,162 in 2024.
How does South Africa rank for sanitation facilities coverage in urban areas?
South Africa ranks 25th out of 186 countries with data for 2024.
Is sanitation facilities coverage in urban areas rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 62.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Sanitation facilities coverage in urban areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Sanitation facilities coverage in urban areas
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
186 places, 4,553 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed