Statizoid

People practicing open defecation in India

India: People practicing open defecation was 6.7% in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
6.7%
Change on year
down 25.5%
World rank
42nd
of 214 countries
All-time high
73.2%
in 2000
All-time low
6.7%
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

People practicing open defecation in India, 2000–2024

0204060802000201220242000: 73.2 % of population2001: 70.3 % of population2002: 67.3 % of population2003: 64.4 % of population2004: 61.5 % of population2005: 58.6 % of population2006: 55.8 % of population2007: 52.9 % of population2008: 50.1 % of population2009: 47.2 % of population2010: 44.4 % of population2011: 41.6 % of population2012: 38.8 % of population2013: 36.1 % of population2014: 33.3 % of population2015: 30.6 % of population2016: 27.8 % of population2017: 25.1 % of population2018: 22.4 % of population2019: 19.7 % of population2020: 17 % of population2021: 14.3 % of population2022: 11.7 % of population2023: 9 % of population2024: 6.7 % of population

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

Analysis

In 2024, people practicing open defecation in India stood at 6.7%. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

That represents a change of down 25.5% on the previous year and down 79.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, people practicing open defecation in India peaked at 73.2% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 6.7%, in 2024.

That places India 42nd out of 214 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 60.1% 47.2% 73.2% 10
2010s 32.0% 19.7% 44.4% 10
2020s 11.8% 6.7% 17.0% 5

Countries ranked near India

  1. 39 Marshall Islands 6.8% compare
  2. 40 Tanzania 6.8% compare
  3. 41 Myanmar 6.7% compare
  4. 43 Saint Lucia 6.2% compare
  5. 44 Senegal 6.1% compare
  6. 45 Kenya 5.9% compare

See the full ranking of 261 places →

More health data for India

All data for India →

Frequently asked questions

What is people practicing open defecation in India?
People practicing open defecation in India was 6.7% 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 India?
The highest recorded value was 73.2% in 2000.
What is the lowest people practicing open defecation recorded in India?
The lowest recorded value was 6.7% in 2024.
How does India rank for people practicing open defecation?
India ranks 42nd out of 214 countries with data for 2024.
Is people practicing open defecation rising or falling in India?
Over the last ten years it is down 79.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this India 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.