Sanitation facilities usage in Nepal

Nepal: Sanitation facilities usage was 158,099 people in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
158,099 people
Change on year
down 82.5%
World rank
62nd
of 232 countries
All-time high
16.74 million people
in 2000
All-time low
158,099 people
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

Sanitation facilities usage in Nepal, 2000–2024

05.0M10.0M15.0M2000201220242000: 16.7M people2001: 16.2M people2002: 15.7M people2003: 15.2M people2004: 14.6M people2005: 14.0M people2006: 13.4M people2007: 12.7M people2008: 12.0M people2009: 11.3M people2010: 10.6M people2011: 9.9M people2012: 9.1M people2013: 8.4M people2014: 7.6M people2015: 6.9M people2016: 6.1M people2017: 5.4M people2018: 4.6M people2019: 3.9M people2020: 3.2M people2021: 2.5M people2022: 1.7M people2023: 902.1k 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 Nepal is 158,099 people, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

The figure is down 82.5% on the previous year and down 97.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, sanitation facilities usage in Nepal peaked at 16.74 million people in 2000 and was at its lowest, 158,099 people, in 2024.

Nepal ranks 62nd of 232 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 14.19 million people 11.32 million people 16.74 million people 10
2010s 7.24 million people 3.89 million people 10.60 million people 10
2020s 1.68 million people 158,099 people 3.19 million people 5

Countries ranked near Nepal

  1. 59 South Africa 177,162 people compare
  2. 60 Guinea-Bissau 170,302 people compare
  3. 61 Rwanda 160,208 people compare
  4. 63 Mongolia 149,597 people compare
  5. 64 Panama 138,983 people compare
  6. 65 Botswana 136,776 people compare

See the full ranking of 232 places →

More reference data data for Nepal

All data for Nepal →

Frequently asked questions

What is sanitation facilities usage in Nepal?
Sanitation facilities usage 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 recorded in Nepal?
The highest recorded value was 16.74 million people in 2000.
What is the lowest sanitation facilities usage recorded in Nepal?
The lowest recorded value was 158,099 people in 2024.
How does Nepal rank for sanitation facilities usage?
Nepal ranks 62nd out of 232 countries with data for 2024.
Is sanitation facilities usage rising or falling in Nepal?
Over the last ten years it is down 97.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
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. 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.