Share of rural population with access to basic handwashing facilities in Kenya
Kenya: Share of rural population with access to basic handwashing facilities was 48.2% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of rural population with access to basic handwashing facilities in Kenya, 2011–2024
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, share of rural population with access to basic handwashing facilities in Kenya stood at 48.2%. That is the highest value across all 14 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 8.3% on the previous year and up 223.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of rural population with access to basic handwashing facilities in Kenya peaked at 48.2% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 14.9%, in 2011.
That places Kenya 62nd out of 113 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 14 years of available data.
Share of rural population with access to basic handwashing facilities in Kenya, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 14.9% | — |
| 2012 | 14.9% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 14.9% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 14.9% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 14.9% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 18.6% | +24.8% |
| 2017 | 22.3% | +19.9% |
| 2018 | 26.0% | +16.6% |
| 2019 | 29.7% | +14.2% |
| 2020 | 33.4% | +12.5% |
| 2021 | 37.1% | +11.1% |
| 2022 | 40.8% | +10.0% |
| 2023 | 44.5% | +9.1% |
| 2024 | 48.2% | +8.3% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 48.2% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 32.2%, 1.5× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 48.2% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 17.7%, 2.7× the median. (43 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 19.0% | 14.9% | 29.7% | 9 |
| 2020s | 40.8% | 33.4% | 48.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
- 59 Laos 56.6% compare
- 60 Yemen 56.3% compare
- 61 Afghanistan 48.9% compare
- 63 Sao Tome and Principe 43.1% compare
- 64 Vanuatu 42.2% compare
- 65 Cape Verde 37.7% compare
More reference data data for Kenya
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.5379 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 12.22 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 14.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.377 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 14.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.8 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.1 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 58.05 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 68.95 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.05 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of rural population with access to basic handwashing facilities in Kenya?
- Share of rural population with access to basic handwashing facilities in Kenya was 48.2% 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 share of rural population with access to basic handwashing facilities recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 48.2% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of rural population with access to basic handwashing facilities recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.9% in 2011.
- How does Kenya rank for share of rural population with access to basic handwashing facilities?
- Kenya ranks 62nd out of 113 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of rural population with access to basic handwashing facilities rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 223.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Kenya 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 Share of rural population with access to basic handwashing facilities. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Proportion of people with access to a handwashing facility with soap and water available at home.