Share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in Benin
Benin: Share of population not using improved sanitation facilities was 56.9% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in Benin, 2000–2024
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Benin recorded 56.9% for share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.4% on the previous year and down 12.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in Benin peaked at 76.4% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 56.9%, in 2024.
Benin ranks 12th of 232 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in Benin, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 76.4% | — |
| 2001 | 75.6% | -1.0% |
| 2002 | 74.8% | -1.0% |
| 2003 | 74.0% | -1.1% |
| 2004 | 73.2% | -1.1% |
| 2005 | 72.4% | -1.1% |
| 2006 | 71.5% | -1.1% |
| 2007 | 70.7% | -1.2% |
| 2008 | 69.9% | -1.2% |
| 2009 | 69.1% | -1.2% |
| 2010 | 68.3% | -1.2% |
| 2011 | 67.4% | -1.2% |
| 2012 | 66.6% | -1.2% |
| 2013 | 65.8% | -1.2% |
| 2014 | 65.0% | -1.2% |
| 2015 | 64.2% | -1.3% |
| 2016 | 63.4% | -1.3% |
| 2017 | 62.6% | -1.3% |
| 2018 | 61.7% | -1.3% |
| 2019 | 60.9% | -1.3% |
| 2020 | 60.1% | -1.3% |
| 2021 | 59.3% | -1.3% |
| 2022 | 58.5% | -1.4% |
| 2023 | 57.7% | -1.4% |
| 2024 | 56.9% | -1.4% |
Benin compared with similar countries
- Benin's 56.9% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 26.4%, 2.2× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Benin's 56.9% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 36.6%, 1.6× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 72.8% | 69.1% | 76.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 64.6% | 60.9% | 68.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 58.5% | 56.9% | 60.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Benin
- 9 Madagascar 61.8% compare
- 10 Solomon Islands 59.4% compare
- 11 Uganda 57.9% compare
- 13 Mozambique 55.9% compare
- 14 Guinea-Bissau 52.6% compare
- 15 Togo 51.4% compare
More reference data data for Benin
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1979 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.67 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.03 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1562 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 2.03 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.6635 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.5244 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 8.56 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 10.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.8505 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in Benin?
- Share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in Benin was 56.9% 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 Benin?
- The highest recorded value was 76.4% in 2000.
- What is the lowest share of population not using improved sanitation facilities recorded in Benin?
- The lowest recorded value was 56.9% in 2024.
- How does Benin rank for share of population not using improved sanitation facilities?
- Benin ranks 12th out of 232 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of population not using improved sanitation facilities rising or falling in Benin?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Benin 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
If no improved sanitation facility is available, people might practice open defecation or use unimproved sanitation facilities.