Share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in Romania

Romania: Share of population not using improved sanitation facilities was 9.2% in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
9.2%
Change on year
down 0.4%
World rank
68th
of 232 countries
All-time high
25.7%
in 2002
All-time low
9.2%
in 2024
Years of data
24
2001–2024

Share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in Romania, 2001–2024

01020302001201220242001: 25.7 %2002: 25.7 %2003: 25.7 %2004: 25.6 %2005: 25.6 %2006: 24.6 %2007: 23.7 %2008: 22.7 %2009: 21.8 %2010: 20.9 %2011: 20 %2012: 19.1 %2013: 18.2 %2014: 17.3 %2015: 16.4 %2016: 15.5 %2017: 14.7 %2018: 13.8 %2019: 12.9 %2020: 11.9 %2021: 11 %2022: 10.1 %2023: 9.2 %2024: 9.2 %

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

Analysis

Romania recorded 9.2% for share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 24 years on record.

That represents a change of down 0.4% on the previous year and down 46.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in Romania peaked at 25.7% in 2002 and was at its lowest, 9.2%, in 2024.

That places Romania 68th out of 232 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 24.6% 21.8% 25.7% 9
2010s 16.9% 12.9% 20.9% 10
2020s 10.3% 9.2% 11.9% 5

Countries ranked near Romania

  1. 65 Panama 9.6% compare
  2. 66 Micronesia (country) 9.5% compare
  3. 67 Marshall Islands 9.5% compare
  4. 69 Faroe Islands 9.1% compare
  5. 70 Laos 8.7% compare
  6. 71 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 8.5% compare

See the full ranking of 232 places →

More reference data data for Romania

All data for Romania →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in Romania?
Share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in Romania was 9.2% 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 Romania?
The highest recorded value was 25.7% in 2002.
What is the lowest share of population not using improved sanitation facilities recorded in Romania?
The lowest recorded value was 9.2% in 2024.
How does Romania rank for share of population not using improved sanitation facilities?
Romania ranks 68th out of 232 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of population not using improved sanitation facilities rising or falling in Romania?
Over the last ten years it is down 46.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Romania 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 — 24 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.