Share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea: Share of population not using improved sanitation facilities was 70.6% in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
70.6%
Change on year
down 0.8%
World rank
6th
of 232 countries
All-time high
81.1%
in 2004
All-time low
70.6%
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

Share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in Papua New Guinea, 2000–2024

0204060802000201220242000: 81 %2001: 81.1 %2002: 81.1 %2003: 81.1 %2004: 81.1 %2005: 80.6 %2006: 80.1 %2007: 79.6 %2008: 79.1 %2009: 78.6 %2010: 78.1 %2011: 77.5 %2012: 77 %2013: 76.5 %2014: 76 %2015: 75.5 %2016: 75 %2017: 74.4 %2018: 73.9 %2019: 73.3 %2020: 72.8 %2021: 72.2 %2022: 71.7 %2023: 71.1 %2024: 70.6 %

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

Analysis

Papua New Guinea recorded 70.6% 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 0.8% on the previous year and down 7.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in Papua New Guinea peaked at 81.1% in 2004 and was at its lowest, 70.6%, in 2024.

Papua New Guinea ranks 6th 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 80.3% 78.6% 81.1% 10
2010s 75.7% 73.3% 78.1% 10
2020s 71.7% 70.6% 72.8% 5

Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea

  1. 3 Eritrea 78.3% compare
  2. 4 South Sudan 77.7% compare
  3. 5 Niger 73.5% compare
  4. 7 Central African Republic 69.4% compare
  5. 8 Democratic Republic of Congo 65.9% compare
  6. 9 Madagascar 61.8% compare

See the full ranking of 232 places →

More reference data data for Papua New Guinea

All data for Papua New Guinea →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in Papua New Guinea?
Share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in Papua New Guinea was 70.6% 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 Papua New Guinea?
The highest recorded value was 81.1% in 2004.
What is the lowest share of population not using improved sanitation facilities recorded in Papua New Guinea?
The lowest recorded value was 70.6% in 2024.
How does Papua New Guinea rank for share of population not using improved sanitation facilities?
Papua New Guinea ranks 6th out of 232 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of population not using improved sanitation facilities rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
Over the last ten years it is down 7.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Papua New Guinea 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.