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People practicing open defecation in Namibia

Namibia: People practicing open defecation was 34.7% in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
34.7%
Change on year
down 2.0%
World rank
7th
of 214 countries
All-time high
59.2%
in 2000
All-time low
34.7%
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

People practicing open defecation in Namibia, 2000–2024

02040602000201220242000: 59.2 % of population2001: 58.2 % of population2002: 57 % of population2003: 55.7 % of population2004: 54.5 % of population2005: 53.3 % of population2006: 52.1 % of population2007: 50.9 % of population2008: 49.8 % of population2009: 48.6 % of population2010: 47.5 % of population2011: 46.4 % of population2012: 45.4 % of population2013: 44.3 % of population2014: 43.3 % of population2015: 42.3 % of population2016: 41.3 % of population2017: 40.4 % of population2018: 39.4 % of population2019: 38.6 % of population2020: 37.7 % of population2021: 36.9 % of population2022: 36.1 % of population2023: 35.4 % of population2024: 34.7 % of population

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for people practicing open defecation in Namibia is 34.7%, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.0% on the previous year and down 19.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, people practicing open defecation in Namibia peaked at 59.2% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 34.7%, in 2024.

That places Namibia 7th out of 214 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 53.9% 48.6% 59.2% 10
2010s 42.9% 38.6% 47.5% 10
2020s 36.2% 34.7% 37.7% 5

Countries ranked near Namibia

  1. 4 Chad 62.2% compare
  2. 5 Benin 47.0% compare
  3. 6 Solomon Islands 45.3% compare
  4. 8 Liberia 33.9% compare
  5. 9 Sao Tome and Principe 33.3% compare
  6. 10 Kiribati 32.4% compare

See the full ranking of 261 places →

More health data for Namibia

All data for Namibia →

Frequently asked questions

What is people practicing open defecation in Namibia?
People practicing open defecation in Namibia was 34.7% 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 Namibia?
The highest recorded value was 59.2% in 2000.
What is the lowest people practicing open defecation recorded in Namibia?
The lowest recorded value was 34.7% in 2024.
How does Namibia rank for people practicing open defecation?
Namibia ranks 7th out of 214 countries with data for 2024.
Is people practicing open defecation rising or falling in Namibia?
Over the last ten years it is down 19.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Namibia 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.