Sanitation facilities usage in Afghanistan

Afghanistan: Sanitation facilities usage was 4.76 million people in 2024. ▬ Flat

Latest (2024)
4.76 million people
Change on year
down 1.4%
World rank
18th
of 232 countries
All-time high
5.41 million people
in 2014
All-time low
4.76 million people
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

Sanitation facilities usage in Afghanistan, 2000–2024

02.0M4.0M6.0M2000201220242000: 4.8M people2001: 4.9M people2002: 5.0M people2003: 5.2M people2004: 5.2M people2005: 5.3M people2006: 5.4M people2007: 5.3M people2008: 5.3M people2009: 5.3M people2010: 5.3M people2011: 5.3M people2012: 5.4M people2013: 5.4M people2014: 5.4M people2015: 5.4M people2016: 5.3M people2017: 5.3M people2018: 5.2M people2019: 5.2M people2020: 5.1M people2021: 5.1M people2022: 4.9M people2023: 4.8M people2024: 4.8M people

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

Analysis

Afghanistan recorded 4.76 million people for sanitation facilities usage in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

The figure is down 1.4% on the previous year and down 11.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, sanitation facilities usage in Afghanistan peaked at 5.41 million people in 2014 and was at its lowest, 4.76 million people, in 2024.

That places Afghanistan 18th out of 232 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 5.17 million people 4.82 million people 5.36 million people 10
2010s 5.32 million people 5.16 million people 5.41 million people 10
2020s 4.94 million people 4.76 million people 5.13 million people 5

Countries ranked near Afghanistan

  1. 15 Ghana 6.13 million people compare
  2. 16 Mozambique 5.55 million people compare
  3. 17 Cote d'Ivoire 5.33 million people compare
  4. 19 Tanzania 4.64 million people compare
  5. 20 Myanmar 3.68 million people compare
  6. 21 Kenya 3.34 million people compare

See the full ranking of 232 places →

More reference data data for Afghanistan

All data for Afghanistan →

Frequently asked questions

What is sanitation facilities usage in Afghanistan?
Sanitation facilities usage in Afghanistan was 4.76 million 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 recorded in Afghanistan?
The highest recorded value was 5.41 million people in 2014.
What is the lowest sanitation facilities usage recorded in Afghanistan?
The lowest recorded value was 4.76 million people in 2024.
How does Afghanistan rank for sanitation facilities usage?
Afghanistan ranks 18th out of 232 countries with data for 2024.
Is sanitation facilities usage rising or falling in Afghanistan?
Over the last ten years it is down 11.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Afghanistan 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. 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
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.