Share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in Ethiopia

Ethiopia: Share of population not using improved sanitation facilities was 81.1% in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
81.1%
Change on year
down 0.7%
World rank
2nd
of 232 countries
All-time high
92.9%
in 2000
All-time low
81.1%
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

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

0204060801002000201220242000: 92.9 %2001: 92.5 %2002: 92.1 %2003: 91.7 %2004: 91.3 %2005: 90.9 %2006: 90.5 %2007: 90.1 %2008: 89.6 %2009: 89.1 %2010: 88.6 %2011: 88.1 %2012: 87.6 %2013: 87 %2014: 86.5 %2015: 86 %2016: 85.5 %2017: 85 %2018: 84.4 %2019: 83.9 %2020: 83.3 %2021: 82.8 %2022: 82.2 %2023: 81.7 %2024: 81.1 %

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 population not using improved sanitation facilities in Ethiopia stood at 81.1%. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

The figure is down 0.7% on the previous year and down 6.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in Ethiopia peaked at 92.9% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 81.1%, in 2024.

Ethiopia ranks 2nd 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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 91.1% 89.1% 92.9% 10
2010s 86.3% 83.9% 88.6% 10
2020s 82.2% 81.1% 83.3% 5

Countries ranked near Ethiopia

  1. 1 Chad 81.3% compare
  2. 3 Eritrea 78.3% compare
  3. 4 South Sudan 77.7% compare
  4. 5 Niger 73.5% compare

See the full ranking of 232 places →

More reference data data for Ethiopia

All data for Ethiopia →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in Ethiopia?
Share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in Ethiopia was 81.1% 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 Ethiopia?
The highest recorded value was 92.9% in 2000.
What is the lowest share of population not using improved sanitation facilities recorded in Ethiopia?
The lowest recorded value was 81.1% in 2024.
How does Ethiopia rank for share of population not using improved sanitation facilities?
Ethiopia ranks 2nd out of 232 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of population not using improved sanitation facilities rising or falling in Ethiopia?
Over the last ten years it is down 6.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Ethiopia 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.