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
Share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in Democratic Republic of Congo, 2000–2024
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.
Share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 52.3% | — |
| 2001 | 53.1% | +1.4% |
| 2002 | 53.8% | +1.4% |
| 2003 | 54.6% | +1.4% |
| 2004 | 55.3% | +1.3% |
| 2005 | 56.0% | +1.3% |
| 2006 | 56.7% | +1.3% |
| 2007 | 57.5% | +1.3% |
| 2008 | 58.2% | +1.2% |
| 2009 | 58.9% | +1.2% |
| 2010 | 59.6% | +1.2% |
| 2011 | 60.2% | +1.2% |
| 2012 | 60.9% | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 61.6% | +1.1% |
| 2014 | 62.3% | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 62.9% | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 63.6% | +1.0% |
| 2017 | 64.2% | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 64.9% | +1.0% |
| 2019 | 65.5% | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 66.1% | +1.0% |
| 2021 | 66.2% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 66.3% | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 66.1% | -0.3% |
| 2024 | 65.9% | -0.3% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 65.9% is above the median for low income countries, which is 42.2%, 1.6× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 65.9% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 36.6%, 1.8× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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
- 5 Niger 73.5% compare
- 6 Papua New Guinea 70.6% compare
- 7 Central African Republic 69.4% compare
- 9 Madagascar 61.8% compare
- 10 Solomon Islands 59.4% compare
- 11 Uganda 57.9% compare
More reference data data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.3528 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.56 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.31 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.335 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 2.31 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.18 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.44 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 6.66 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 11.56 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.82 (2050)
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
If no improved sanitation facility is available, people might practice open defecation or use unimproved sanitation facilities.