Share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in Democratic Republic of Congo

Democratic Republic of Congo: Share of population not using improved sanitation facilities was 65.9% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
65.9%
Change on year
down 0.3%
World rank
8th
of 232 countries
All-time high
66.3%
in 2022
All-time low
52.3%
in 2000
Years of data
25
2000–2024

Share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in Democratic Republic of Congo, 2000–2024

02040602000201220242000: 52.3 %2001: 53.1 %2002: 53.8 %2003: 54.6 %2004: 55.3 %2005: 56 %2006: 56.7 %2007: 57.5 %2008: 58.2 %2009: 58.9 %2010: 59.6 %2011: 60.2 %2012: 60.9 %2013: 61.6 %2014: 62.3 %2015: 62.9 %2016: 63.6 %2017: 64.2 %2018: 64.9 %2019: 65.5 %2020: 66.1 %2021: 66.2 %2022: 66.3 %2023: 66.1 %2024: 65.9 %

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

Analysis

Democratic Republic of Congo recorded 65.9% for share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in 2024.

The figure is down 0.3% on the previous year and up 5.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 66.3% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 52.3%, in 2000.

Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 8th of 232 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 55.6% 52.3% 58.9% 10
2010s 62.6% 59.6% 65.5% 10
2020s 66.1% 65.9% 66.3% 5

Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo

  1. 5 Niger 73.5% compare
  2. 6 Papua New Guinea 70.6% compare
  3. 7 Central African Republic 69.4% compare
  4. 9 Madagascar 61.8% compare
  5. 10 Solomon Islands 59.4% compare
  6. 11 Uganda 57.9% compare

See the full ranking of 232 places →

More reference data data for Democratic Republic of Congo

All data for Democratic Republic of Congo →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in Democratic Republic of Congo?
Share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in Democratic Republic of Congo was 65.9% 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 Democratic Republic of Congo?
The highest recorded value was 66.3% in 2022.
What is the lowest share of population not using improved sanitation facilities recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
The lowest recorded value was 52.3% in 2000.
How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for share of population not using improved sanitation facilities?
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 8th out of 232 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of population not using improved sanitation facilities rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
Over the last ten years it is up 5.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo 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.