Statizoid

People practicing open defecation in Cameroon

Cameroon: People practicing open defecation was 4.4% in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
4.4%
Change on year
down 2.9%
World rank
52nd
of 214 countries
All-time high
8.3%
in 2000
All-time low
4.4%
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

People practicing open defecation in Cameroon, 2000–2024

024682000201220242000: 8.3 % of population2001: 8.1 % of population2002: 8 % of population2003: 7.8 % of population2004: 7.6 % of population2005: 7.4 % of population2006: 7.2 % of population2007: 7.1 % of population2008: 6.9 % of population2009: 6.7 % of population2010: 6.5 % of population2011: 6.4 % of population2012: 6.2 % of population2013: 6.1 % of population2014: 5.9 % of population2015: 5.7 % of population2016: 5.6 % of population2017: 5.4 % of population2018: 5.3 % of population2019: 5.1 % of population2020: 5 % of population2021: 4.8 % of population2022: 4.7 % of population2023: 4.6 % of population2024: 4.4 % of population

Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene, World Health Organization (WHO). Measured in % of population.

Analysis

The most recent figure for people practicing open defecation in Cameroon is 4.4%, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

The figure is down 2.9% on the previous year and down 24.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, people practicing open defecation in Cameroon peaked at 8.3% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 4.4%, in 2024.

Cameroon ranks 52nd of 214 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 7.5% 6.7% 8.3% 10
2010s 5.8% 5.1% 6.5% 10
2020s 4.7% 4.4% 5.0% 5

Countries ranked near Cameroon

  1. 49 Vanuatu 5.0% compare
  2. 50 Yemen 4.9% compare
  3. 51 Guinea 4.7% compare
  4. 53 Mongolia 4.3% compare
  5. 54 Mali 3.9% compare
  6. 55 Grenada 3.5% compare

See the full ranking of 261 places →

More health data for Cameroon

All data for Cameroon →

Frequently asked questions

What is people practicing open defecation in Cameroon?
People practicing open defecation in Cameroon was 4.4% in 2024, according to WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene, World Health Organization (WHO).
What is the highest people practicing open defecation recorded in Cameroon?
The highest recorded value was 8.3% in 2000.
What is the lowest people practicing open defecation recorded in Cameroon?
The lowest recorded value was 4.4% in 2024.
How does Cameroon rank for people practicing open defecation?
Cameroon ranks 52nd out of 214 countries with data for 2024.
Is people practicing open defecation rising or falling in Cameroon?
Over the last ten years it is down 24.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Cameroon data come from?
The figures come from WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene, World Health Organization (WHO), published as part of People practicing open defecation (% of population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

About this data

Indicator
People practicing open defecation (% of population)
Unit
% of population
Source
WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene, World Health Organization (WHO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
261 places, 6,240 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed

People practicing open defecation refers to the percentage of the population defecating in the open, such as in fields, forest, bushes, open bodies of water, on beaches, in other open spaces or disposed of with solid waste.