Share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in Japan

Japan: Share of population not using improved sanitation facilities was 0.1% in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
0.1%
Change on year
up 4.2%
World rank
173rd
of 232 countries
All-time high
0.1%
in 2024
All-time low
0.0%
in 2000
Years of data
25
2000–2024

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

00.020.040.062000201220242000: 0.002 %2001: 0.005 %2002: 0.007 %2003: 0.009 %2004: 0.011 %2005: 0.014 %2006: 0.016 %2007: 0.018 %2008: 0.02 %2009: 0.023 %2010: 0.025 %2011: 0.027 %2012: 0.029 %2013: 0.032 %2014: 0.034 %2015: 0.036 %2016: 0.039 %2017: 0.041 %2018: 0.043 %2019: 0.045 %2020: 0.048 %2021: 0.05 %2022: 0.052 %2023: 0.054 %2024: 0.057 %

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

Analysis

Japan recorded 0.1% for share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in 2024. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.

That represents a change of up 4.2% on the previous year and up 66.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in Japan peaked at 0.1% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 2000.

That places Japan 173rd out of 232 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in Japan, year by year

Annual values for Share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in Japan, 2000 to 2024.
Year % Change
2000 0.0%
2001 0.0% +101.4%
2002 0.0% +50.5%
2003 0.0% +33.4%
2004 0.0% +25.1%
2005 0.0% +20.1%
2006 0.0% +16.7%
2007 0.0% +14.3%
2008 0.0% +12.5%
2009 0.0% +11.1%
2010 0.0% +10.0%
2011 0.0% +9.1%
2012 0.0% +8.4%
2013 0.0% +7.7%
2014 0.0% +7.1%
2015 0.0% +6.7%
2016 0.0% +6.2%
2017 0.0% +5.9%
2018 0.0% +5.6%
2019 0.0% +5.3%
2020 0.0% +5.0%
2021 0.0% +4.8%
2022 0.1% +4.6%
2023 0.1% +4.3%
2024 0.1% +4.2%

Japan compared with similar countries

  • Japan's 0.1% is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.1%, 97% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
  • Japan's 0.1% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 2.4%, 2% of the median. (37 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in Japan changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
2001 +101.4% 0.0% 0.0%
2002 +50.5% 0.0% 0.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 10
2010s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 10
2020s 0.1% 0.0% 0.1% 5

Countries ranked near Japan

  1. 170 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 0.1% compare
  2. 171 Qatar 0.1% compare
  3. 172 Bermuda 0.1% compare
  4. 174 Liechtenstein 0.1% compare
  5. 175 Slovakia 0.0% compare
  6. 176 Austria 0.0% compare

See the full ranking of 232 places →

More reference data data for Japan

All data for Japan →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in Japan?
Share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in Japan was 0.1% 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 Japan?
The highest recorded value was 0.1% in 2024.
What is the lowest share of population not using improved sanitation facilities recorded in Japan?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 2000.
How does Japan rank for share of population not using improved sanitation facilities?
Japan ranks 173rd out of 232 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of population not using improved sanitation facilities rising or falling in Japan?
Over the last ten years it is up 66.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Japan 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.

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Share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in Japan. Statizoid, drawing on WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 22 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/share-without-improved-sanitation/japan/

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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.