Share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in Malawi
Malawi: Share of population not using improved sanitation facilities was 24.1% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in Malawi, 2000–2024
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 24.1% for share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.2% on the previous year and down 53.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in Malawi peaked at 85.5% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 24.1%, in 2024.
That places Malawi 47th out of 232 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 85.5% | — |
| 2001 | 85.4% | -0.0% |
| 2002 | 85.4% | -0.0% |
| 2003 | 85.4% | -0.0% |
| 2004 | 85.3% | -0.0% |
| 2005 | 81.9% | -4.0% |
| 2006 | 78.5% | -4.2% |
| 2007 | 75.1% | -4.3% |
| 2008 | 71.7% | -4.5% |
| 2009 | 68.3% | -4.7% |
| 2010 | 64.9% | -5.0% |
| 2011 | 61.5% | -5.2% |
| 2012 | 58.1% | -5.5% |
| 2013 | 54.7% | -5.9% |
| 2014 | 51.3% | -6.2% |
| 2015 | 47.9% | -6.6% |
| 2016 | 44.5% | -7.1% |
| 2017 | 41.1% | -7.6% |
| 2018 | 37.7% | -8.3% |
| 2019 | 34.3% | -9.0% |
| 2020 | 30.9% | -9.9% |
| 2021 | 27.6% | -11.0% |
| 2022 | 24.2% | -12.3% |
| 2023 | 24.1% | -0.2% |
| 2024 | 24.1% | -0.2% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 24.1% is below the median for low income countries, which is 42.2%, 57% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 24.1% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 36.6%, 66% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 80.3% | 68.3% | 85.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 49.6% | 34.3% | 64.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 26.2% | 24.1% | 30.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
More reference data data for Malawi
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1596 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.09 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 3.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.3426 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 3.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.5353 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.6012 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 4.92 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 16.7 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.87 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in Malawi?
- Share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in Malawi was 24.1% 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 Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 85.5% in 2000.
- What is the lowest share of population not using improved sanitation facilities recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 24.1% in 2024.
- How does Malawi rank for share of population not using improved sanitation facilities?
- Malawi ranks 47th out of 232 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of population not using improved sanitation facilities rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 53.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malawi 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.