Share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in Nepal
Nepal: Share of population not using improved sanitation facilities was 2.0% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in Nepal, 2000–2024
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Nepal recorded 2.0% for share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 58.3% on the previous year and down 93.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in Nepal peaked at 74.9% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 2.0%, in 2024.
That places Nepal 109th 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 Nepal, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 74.9% | — |
| 2001 | 71.5% | -4.5% |
| 2002 | 68.3% | -4.4% |
| 2003 | 65.2% | -4.6% |
| 2004 | 62.0% | -4.8% |
| 2005 | 58.9% | -5.1% |
| 2006 | 55.7% | -5.3% |
| 2007 | 52.6% | -5.6% |
| 2008 | 49.5% | -5.9% |
| 2009 | 46.4% | -6.2% |
| 2010 | 43.4% | -6.6% |
| 2011 | 40.3% | -7.1% |
| 2012 | 37.3% | -7.6% |
| 2013 | 34.2% | -8.1% |
| 2014 | 31.2% | -8.8% |
| 2015 | 28.2% | -9.6% |
| 2016 | 25.2% | -10.6% |
| 2017 | 22.2% | -11.8% |
| 2018 | 19.3% | -13.3% |
| 2019 | 16.4% | -15.2% |
| 2020 | 13.5% | -17.8% |
| 2021 | 10.6% | -21.5% |
| 2022 | 7.7% | -27.2% |
| 2023 | 4.8% | -37.0% |
| 2024 | 2.0% | -58.3% |
Nepal compared with similar countries
- Nepal's 2.0% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 26.4%, 8% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Nepal's 2.0% is below the median for South Asia, which is 2.3%, 87% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in Nepal 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | -58.3% | 4.8% | 2.0% |
| 2023 | -37.0% | 7.7% | 4.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 60.5% | 46.4% | 74.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 29.8% | 16.4% | 43.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.7% | 2.0% | 13.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Nepal
More reference data data for Nepal
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.7753 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 2.5 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 4.14 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.7853 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 4.14 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 2.6 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.7974 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 11.28 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 19.44 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 4.28 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in Nepal?
- Share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in Nepal was 2.0% 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 Nepal?
- The highest recorded value was 74.9% in 2000.
- What is the lowest share of population not using improved sanitation facilities recorded in Nepal?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.0% in 2024.
- How does Nepal rank for share of population not using improved sanitation facilities?
- Nepal ranks 109th out of 232 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of population not using improved sanitation facilities rising or falling in Nepal?
- Over the last ten years it is down 93.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Nepal 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.