Share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in South Korea
South Korea: Share of population not using improved sanitation facilities was 0.3% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in South Korea, 2000–2024
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 South Korea stood at 0.3%. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 6.4% on the previous year and up 153.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in South Korea peaked at 0.3% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 2000.
That places South Korea 158th 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 South Korea, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 0.0% | — |
| 2001 | 0.0% | — |
| 2002 | 0.0% | — |
| 2003 | 0.0% | — |
| 2004 | 0.0% | — |
| 2005 | 0.0% | — |
| 2006 | 0.0% | — |
| 2007 | 0.0% | — |
| 2008 | 0.0% | — |
| 2009 | 0.0% | +189.5% |
| 2010 | 0.0% | +65.4% |
| 2011 | 0.1% | +39.6% |
| 2012 | 0.1% | +28.3% |
| 2013 | 0.1% | +22.1% |
| 2014 | 0.1% | +18.1% |
| 2015 | 0.1% | +15.3% |
| 2016 | 0.1% | +13.3% |
| 2017 | 0.2% | +11.7% |
| 2018 | 0.2% | +10.5% |
| 2019 | 0.2% | +9.5% |
| 2020 | 0.2% | +8.7% |
| 2021 | 0.2% | +8.0% |
| 2022 | 0.2% | +7.4% |
| 2023 | 0.3% | +6.9% |
| 2024 | 0.3% | +6.4% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 0.3% is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.1%, 4.6× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 0.3% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 2.4%, 11% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in South Korea 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.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | +189.5% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2010 | +65.4% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More reference data data for South Korea
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.9638 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.9281 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 3.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.2074 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 3.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.23 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 4.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 5.17 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 19.85 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.13 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in South Korea?
- Share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in South Korea was 0.3% 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 South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 0.3% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of population not using improved sanitation facilities recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 2000.
- How does South Korea rank for share of population not using improved sanitation facilities?
- South Korea ranks 158th out of 232 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of population not using improved sanitation facilities rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 153.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Korea 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.