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People practicing open defecation in Kenya

Kenya: People practicing open defecation was 5.9% in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
5.9%
Change on year
down 6.7%
World rank
45th
of 214 countries
All-time high
16.9%
in 2000
All-time low
5.9%
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

People practicing open defecation in Kenya, 2000–2024

57.51012.51517.52000201220242000: 16.9 % of population2001: 16.4 % of population2002: 16 % of population2003: 15.5 % of population2004: 15 % of population2005: 14.5 % of population2006: 14 % of population2007: 13.6 % of population2008: 13.1 % of population2009: 12.6 % of population2010: 12.2 % of population2011: 11.7 % of population2012: 11.2 % of population2013: 10.8 % of population2014: 10.3 % of population2015: 9.9 % of population2016: 9.4 % of population2017: 9 % of population2018: 8.5 % of population2019: 8.1 % of population2020: 7.6 % of population2021: 7.2 % of population2022: 6.8 % of population2023: 6.3 % of population2024: 5.9 % 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 Kenya stood at 5.9%. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 6.7% on the previous year and down 42.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, people practicing open defecation in Kenya peaked at 16.9% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 5.9%, in 2024.

That places Kenya 45th out of 214 countries with data for 2024, putting it 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 14.8% 12.6% 16.9% 10
2010s 10.1% 8.1% 12.2% 10
2020s 6.8% 5.9% 7.6% 5

Countries ranked near Kenya

  1. 42 India 6.7% compare
  2. 43 Saint Lucia 6.2% compare
  3. 44 Senegal 6.1% compare
  4. 46 Dominica 5.6% compare
  5. 47 Botswana 5.4% compare
  6. 48 Cambodia 5.2% compare

See the full ranking of 261 places →

More health data for Kenya

All data for Kenya →

Frequently asked questions

What is people practicing open defecation in Kenya?
People practicing open defecation in Kenya was 5.9% 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 Kenya?
The highest recorded value was 16.9% in 2000.
What is the lowest people practicing open defecation recorded in Kenya?
The lowest recorded value was 5.9% in 2024.
How does Kenya rank for people practicing open defecation?
Kenya ranks 45th out of 214 countries with data for 2024.
Is people practicing open defecation rising or falling in Kenya?
Over the last ten years it is down 42.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Kenya 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.