Share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in Afghanistan

Afghanistan: Share of population not using improved sanitation facilities was 31.4% in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
31.4%
Change on year
down 5.6%
World rank
39th
of 232 countries
All-time high
72.6%
in 2000
All-time low
31.4%
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

Share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in Afghanistan, 2000–2024

0204060802000201220242000: 72.6 %2001: 72.5 %2002: 70.8 %2003: 69.1 %2004: 67.3 %2005: 65.6 %2006: 63.8 %2007: 62.1 %2008: 60.3 %2009: 58.5 %2010: 56.7 %2011: 55 %2012: 53.2 %2013: 51.4 %2014: 49.6 %2015: 47.8 %2016: 46 %2017: 44.2 %2018: 42.4 %2019: 40.6 %2020: 38.8 %2021: 37 %2022: 35.1 %2023: 33.3 %2024: 31.4 %

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

Analysis

Afghanistan recorded 31.4% for share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 5.6% on the previous year and down 36.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in Afghanistan peaked at 72.6% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 31.4%, in 2024.

That places Afghanistan 39th out of 232 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 66.3% 58.5% 72.6% 10
2010s 48.7% 40.6% 56.7% 10
2020s 35.1% 31.4% 38.8% 5

Countries ranked near Afghanistan

  1. 36 Mali 32.4% compare
  2. 37 Mauritania 31.9% compare
  3. 38 Kenya 31.6% compare
  4. 40 Cote d'Ivoire 31.2% compare
  5. 41 Sudan 30.3% compare
  6. 42 Angola 29.1% compare

See the full ranking of 232 places →

More reference data data for Afghanistan

All data for Afghanistan →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in Afghanistan?
Share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in Afghanistan was 31.4% 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 population not using improved sanitation facilities recorded in Afghanistan?
The highest recorded value was 72.6% in 2000.
What is the lowest share of population not using improved sanitation facilities recorded in Afghanistan?
The lowest recorded value was 31.4% in 2024.
How does Afghanistan rank for share of population not using improved sanitation facilities?
Afghanistan ranks 39th out of 232 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of population not using improved sanitation facilities rising or falling in Afghanistan?
Over the last ten years it is down 36.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
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 Share of population not using improved sanitation facilities. 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
Share of population not using improved sanitation facilities
Unit
%
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, 5,597 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed

If no improved sanitation facility is available, people might practice open defecation or use unimproved sanitation facilities.