Sanitation facilities usage by country

Open defecation includes defecating in fields, forests, bushes, bodies of water or other open spaces, not using any sanitation facilities.

Countries reporting
225
Highest
97.69 million people
India
Lowest
0 people
Tokelau
Median
621.04 people
Years covered
25
2000–2024
Data points
5,488

What the numbers show

Sanitation facilities usage is currently reported for 225 countries. The highest value is 97.69 million people in India; the lowest is 0 people in Tokelau.

The median across all reporting countries is 621.04 people, and the mean is 1.58 million people.

Over the past decade 31 countries rose and 128 fell. The largest increase was in Trinidad and Tobago (up 255.0%), and the largest decrease in Albania (down 100.0%).

Sanitation facilities usage: full country ranking

#Country LatestYear 10-year changeTrend
1 India 97.69 million people 2024 down 77.7% falling
2 Nigeria 41.78 million people 2024 up 8.1% rising
3 Ethiopia 21.44 million people 2024 down 45.4% falling
4 Pakistan 20.53 million people 2024 down 46.5% falling
5 Niger 17.84 million people 2024 up 27.7% rising
6 Democratic Republic of Congo 12.75 million people 2024 up 39.4% rising
7 Chad 12.63 million people 2024 up 34.7% rising
8 Angola 9.17 million people 2022 up 25.8% rising
9 Madagascar 8.63 million people 2024 up 2.0% rising
10 Sudan 8.27 million people 2024 down 34.0% falling
11 South Sudan 7.50 million people 2024 down 3.2% falling
12 Burkina Faso 7.03 million people 2024 down 18.5% falling
13 Benin 6.80 million people 2024 up 11.1% rising
14 Indonesia 6.48 million people 2024 down 81.4% falling
15 Ghana 6.13 million people 2024 up 16.5% rising
16 Mozambique 5.55 million people 2024 down 35.5% falling
17 Cote d'Ivoire 5.33 million people 2024 down 13.2% falling
18 Afghanistan 4.76 million people 2024 down 11.9% flat
19 Tanzania 4.64 million people 2024 up 4.8% rising
20 Myanmar 3.68 million people 2024 down 8.5% falling
21 Kenya 3.34 million people 2024 down 29.8% falling
22 Togo 3.06 million people 2024 down 10.0% falling
23 Somalia 2.75 million people 2024 down 33.9% falling
24 Philippines 2.52 million people 2024 down 58.5% falling
25 Zimbabwe 2.10 million people 2024 down 32.0% falling
26 Eritrea 2.09 million people 2016 up 3.0% rising
27 Haiti 2.04 million people 2023 down 14.0% falling
28 Yemen 1.99 million people 2024 down 60.1% falling
29 Liberia 1.90 million people 2024 down 2.2% rising
30 Uganda 1.77 million people 2024 down 36.0% falling
31 Papua New Guinea 1.65 million people 2024 up 33.4% rising
32 Sierra Leone 1.33 million people 2024 down 1.3% rising
33 Central African Republic 1.32 million people 2024 up 15.4% rising
34 Cameroon 1.29 million people 2024 down 0.6% rising
35 Senegal 1.14 million people 2024 down 40.2% falling
36 Colombia 1.11 million people 2024 down 44.3% falling
37 Namibia 1.05 million people 2024 up 5.0% flat
38 Mali 946,504 people 2024 down 44.8% falling
39 Cambodia 924,670 people 2024 down 84.5% falling
40 Bolivia 880,646 people 2024 down 50.7% falling
41 Venezuela 846,469 people 2021 down 45.2% falling
42 Mauritania 836,671 people 2024 down 33.3% falling
43 Guinea 687,094 people 2024 down 58.2% falling
44 Laos 678,318 people 2024 down 64.3% falling
45 Peru 657,879 people 2024 down 73.3% falling
46 Argentina 657,422 people 2014 down 19.1% falling
47 Congo 492,205 people 2021 up 23.1% rising
48 Zambia 435,970 people 2024 down 78.1% falling
49 Malawi 420,944 people 2024 down 64.6% falling
50 Solomon Islands 371,400 people 2024 up 18.2% rising
51 Honduras 369,234 people 2024 down 53.8% falling
52 Lesotho 345,039 people 2024 down 38.0% falling
53 Iran 335,653 people 2016 down 4.5% falling
54 Ecuador 310,092 people 2024 down 64.7% falling
55 Burundi 277,303 people 2024 up 15.7% rising
56 Dominican Republic 191,205 people 2024 down 34.7% falling
57 Djibouti 183,100 people 2023 up 5.9% rising
58 Guatemala 182,469 people 2024 down 79.5% falling
59 South Africa 177,162 people 2024 down 91.6% volatile
60 Guinea-Bissau 170,302 people 2024 down 41.1% falling
61 Rwanda 160,208 people 2024 down 32.5% falling
62 Nepal 158,099 people 2024 down 97.9% volatile
63 Mongolia 149,597 people 2024 down 42.4% falling
64 Panama 138,983 people 2024 down 29.0% falling
65 Botswana 136,776 people 2024 down 41.5% falling
66 Syria 130,923 people 2016 down 43.7% falling
67 Turkey 122,852 people 2024 down 42.4% falling
68 Malaysia 110,515 people 2016 down 55.1% falling
69 East Timor 110,407 people 2024 down 59.4% falling
70 Sao Tome and Principe 78,551 people 2024 down 18.8% falling
71 El Salvador 75,817 people 2024 down 66.8% falling
72 Tajikistan 47,527 people 2023 down 13.7% falling
73 Equatorial Guinea 44,592 people 2017 down 31.1% falling
74 Kiribati 43,532 people 2024 down 2.8% flat
75 Saudi Arabia 42,627 people 2024 up 2.7% flat
76 Libya 41,969 people 2024 up 14.0% rising
77 Gabon 33,996 people 2024 down 0.5% rising
78 Tunisia 30,561 people 2024 down 89.2% volatile
79 Paraguay 23,685 people 2024 down 47.8% falling
80 Morocco 20,780 people 2024 down 99.2% volatile
81 Cuba 18,569 people 2024 down 75.3% volatile
82 Algeria 18,107 people 2024 down 96.5% volatile
83 Uzbekistan 17,953 people 2024 up 20.9% rising
84 Cape Verde 17,945 people 2024 down 84.0% volatile
85 Jamaica 16,325 people 2024 down 19.0% falling
86 Vanuatu 16,271 people 2024 up 128.0% volatile
87 Comoros 15,684 people 2024 up 66.7% rising
88 Saint Lucia 11,065 people 2022 down 3.6% falling
89 Micronesia (country) 10,298 people 2014 down 2.1% flat
90 Croatia 9,027 people 2021 down 10.6% falling
91 Suriname 7,663 people 2024 down 61.5% volatile
92 Palestine 7,007 people 2024 down 50.7% falling
93 Jordan 6,153 people 2024 down 25.7% falling
94 Eswatini 4,464 people 2024 down 95.2% volatile
95 Grenada 4,088 people 2017 up 33.5% rising
96 Moldova 3,994 people 2024 down 10.9% rising
97 Serbia 3,908 people 2024 down 12.8% falling
98 Dominica 3,816 people 2017 down 47.3% falling
99 Mauritius 3,204 people 2024 up 41.6% rising
100 Costa Rica 3,167 people 2024 down 78.7% falling
101 Trinidad and Tobago 2,936 people 2024 up 255.0% volatile
102 Azerbaijan 2,730 people 2024 down 76.3% falling
103 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 2,658 people 2018 up 11.6% rising
104 Marshall Islands 2,562 people 2024 down 45.2% falling
105 Belize 2,297 people 2022 down 63.3% falling
106 Iraq 2,073 people 2024 down 99.1% volatile
107 North Macedonia 1,957 people 2024 down 58.7% falling
108 Qatar 1,934 people 2024 up 37.4% rising
109 Gambia 1,335 people 2024 down 96.2% volatile
110 Guam 1,204 people 2016 up 99.3% volatile
111 Aruba 926.96 people 2024 down 9.5% falling
112 Wallis and Futuna 780.36 people 2024 up 11.1% rising
113 Saint Kitts and Nevis 621.04 people 2017 down 33.9% falling
114 Bahamas 497.88 people 2019 down 78.8% volatile
115 Curacao 459.55 people 2017 down 49.4% falling
116 Ukraine 432.71 people 2024 down 21.1% volatile
117 American Samoa 386.02 people 2014 down 5.2% falling
118 Samoa 338.85 people 2024 up 49.7% rising
119 Armenia 312.38 people 2024 down 21.6% volatile
120 Montenegro 256.07 people 2024 down 63.9% falling
121 Tuvalu 176.41 people 2024 down 66.2% falling
122 Georgia 134.26 people 2024 down 98.3% volatile
123 Antigua and Barbuda 133.82 people 2024 down 77.4% falling
124 Guyana 109.92 people 2024 down 97.8% volatile
125 Nauru 98.33 people 2024 down 32.4% falling
126 Tonga 88.53 people 2024 down 37.3% falling
127 Cook Islands 81.09 people 2024 down 1.0% rising
128 Anguilla 78.18 people 2017 down 53.1% falling
129 Northern Mariana Islands 70.68 people 2024 down 25.9% falling
130 Sint Maarten (Dutch part) 51.23 people 2017 down 47.9% falling
131 Niue 10.96 people 2024 up 15.1% rising
132 Turks and Caicos Islands 5.99 people 2024 down 9.6% falling
133 Albania 0 people 2024 down 100.0% volatile
133 Andorra 0 people 2024 flat
133 United Arab Emirates 0 people 2024 flat
133 Australia 0 people 2024 flat
133 Austria 0 people 2024 flat
133 Belgium 0 people 2024 flat
133 Bangladesh 0 people 2024 down 100.0% volatile
133 Bulgaria 0 people 2024 flat
133 Bahrain 0 people 2024 flat
133 Bosnia and Herzegovina 0 people 2018 down 100.0% volatile
133 Belarus 0 people 2024 flat
133 Bermuda 0 people 2024 flat
133 Brazil 0 people 2024 down 100.0% volatile
133 Barbados 0 people 2024 down 100.0% falling
133 Brunei 0 people 2024 down 100.0% volatile
133 Bhutan 0 people 2024 down 100.0% volatile
133 Canada 0 people 2024 flat
133 Switzerland 0 people 2024 flat
133 Chile 0 people 2024 down 100.0% volatile
133 China 0 people 2024 down 100.0% volatile
133 Cayman Islands 0 people 2024 flat
133 Cyprus 0 people 2024 flat
133 Czechia 0 people 2024 flat
133 Germany 0 people 2024 flat
133 Denmark 0 people 2024 flat
133 Egypt 0 people 2024 down 100.0% volatile
133 Spain 0 people 2024 flat
133 Estonia 0 people 2024 flat
133 Finland 0 people 2024 flat
133 Fiji 0 people 2024 down 100.0% volatile
133 France 0 people 2024 flat
133 Faroe Islands 0 people 2015 flat
133 United Kingdom 0 people 2024 flat
133 Gibraltar 0 people 2024 flat
133 Greece 0 people 2024 down 100.0% volatile
133 Greenland 0 people 2022 flat
133 Hong Kong 0 people 2024 flat
133 Hungary 0 people 2024 flat
133 Isle of Man 0 people 2024 flat
133 Iceland 0 people 2024 flat
133 Israel 0 people 2024 flat
133 Italy 0 people 2024 flat
133 Japan 0 people 2024 flat
133 Kazakhstan 0 people 2024 down 100.0% volatile
133 Kyrgyzstan 0 people 2024 down 100.0% volatile
133 South Korea 0 people 2024 flat
133 Kuwait 0 people 2024 flat
133 Lebanon 0 people 2024 down 100.0% volatile
133 Sri Lanka 0 people 2024 down 100.0% volatile
133 Lithuania 0 people 2024 flat
133 Latvia 0 people 2024 flat
133 Macao 0 people 2024 flat
133 Saint Martin (French part) 0 people 2024 flat
133 Monaco 0 people 2024 flat
133 Maldives 0 people 2024 down 100.0% volatile
133 Mexico 0 people 2024 down 100.0% volatile
133 New Caledonia 0 people 2024 flat
133 Netherlands 0 people 2024 flat
133 Norway 0 people 2024 flat
133 New Zealand 0 people 2024 flat
133 Oman 0 people 2024 volatile
133 Palau 0 people 2024 flat
133 Poland 0 people 2024 flat
133 Puerto Rico 0 people 2024 flat
133 North Korea 0 people 2023 flat
133 Portugal 0 people 2024 flat
133 French Polynesia 0 people 2024 down 100.0% volatile
133 Romania 0 people 2024 flat
133 Russia 0 people 2024 flat
133 Singapore 0 people 2024 flat
133 San Marino 0 people 2024 flat
133 Slovakia 0 people 2024 flat
133 Slovenia 0 people 2024 flat
133 Sweden 0 people 2024 flat
133 Seychelles 0 people 2024 down 100.0% falling
133 Thailand 0 people 2024 down 100.0% volatile
133 Turkmenistan 0 people 2024 down 100.0% volatile
133 Uruguay 0 people 2024 down 100.0% volatile
133 United States 0 people 2024 flat
133 British Virgin Islands 0 people 2016 down 100.0% volatile
133 United States Virgin Islands 0 people 2024 flat
133 Vietnam 0 people 2024 down 100.0% volatile
133 French Guiana 0 people 2024 flat
133 Reunion 0 people 2024 flat
133 Montserrat 0 people 2024 down 100.0% volatile
133 Bonaire Sint Eustatius and Saba 0 people 2024 flat
133 Falkland Islands 0 people 2024 flat
133 Guernsey 0 people 2024 flat
133 Jersey 0 people 2024 flat
133 Saint Barthelemy 0 people 2024 flat
133 Saint Helena 0 people 2024 flat
133 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 0 people 2024 flat
133 Tokelau 0 people 2024 down 100.0% volatile

About this data

Indicator
Sanitation facilities usage
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
232 places, 5,488 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.