Share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in Uruguay

Uruguay: Share of population not using improved sanitation facilities was 0.4% in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
0.4%
Change on year
down 16.1%
World rank
150th
of 232 countries
All-time high
2.8%
in 2000
All-time low
0.4%
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

Share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in Uruguay, 2000–2024

0.511.522.532000201220242000: 2.8 %2001: 2.8 %2002: 2.8 %2003: 2.7 %2004: 2.7 %2005: 2.6 %2006: 2.4 %2007: 2.3 %2008: 2.2 %2009: 2 %2010: 1.9 %2011: 1.8 %2012: 1.7 %2013: 1.6 %2014: 1.4 %2015: 1.3 %2016: 1.2 %2017: 1.1 %2018: 1 %2019: 0.891 %2020: 0.783 %2021: 0.676 %2022: 0.57 %2023: 0.492 %2024: 0.413 %

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 Uruguay stood at 0.4%. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 16.1% on the previous year and down 71.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in Uruguay peaked at 2.8% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 0.4%, in 2024.

Uruguay ranks 150th of 232 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 2.5% 2.0% 2.8% 10
2010s 1.4% 0.9% 1.9% 10
2020s 0.6% 0.4% 0.8% 5

Countries ranked near Uruguay

  1. 148 Paraguay 0.5% compare
  2. 149 Samoa 0.5% compare
  3. 151 Antigua and Barbuda 0.4% compare
  4. 152 Turkey 0.4% compare
  5. 153 United States 0.4% compare

See the full ranking of 232 places →

More reference data data for Uruguay

All data for Uruguay →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in Uruguay?
Share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in Uruguay was 0.4% 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 Uruguay?
The highest recorded value was 2.8% in 2000.
What is the lowest share of population not using improved sanitation facilities recorded in Uruguay?
The lowest recorded value was 0.4% in 2024.
How does Uruguay rank for share of population not using improved sanitation facilities?
Uruguay ranks 150th out of 232 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of population not using improved sanitation facilities rising or falling in Uruguay?
Over the last ten years it is down 71.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Uruguay 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.