Lesotho vs Malawi: Share of urban and rural population using safely managed sanitation services
Lesotho
47.8%
in 2024
Malawi
47.3%
in 2024
Lesotho rank
50th
Malawi rank
52nd
Share of urban and rural population using safely managed sanitation services over time
- Lesotho
- Malawi
How they compare
Lesotho currently reports 47.8% against 47.3% in Malawi, a difference of 0.5%.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 25 shared years of data; in 2000 it was Lesotho ahead.
Lesotho ranks 50th and Malawi ranks 52nd of 100 countries.
Across the 3 decades both report, Lesotho averaged higher in 2 and Malawi in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Lesotho | Malawi | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 18.3% | 9.5% | 8.8% | Lesotho |
| 2010s | 34.1% | 30.3% | 3.8% | Lesotho |
| 2020s | 45.1% | 45.9% | 0.9% | Malawi |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of urban and rural population using safely managed sanitation services, Lesotho or Malawi?
- Lesotho, at 47.8% against 47.3% in Malawi as of 2024.
- What is the difference in share of urban and rural population using safely managed sanitation services between Lesotho and Malawi?
- 0.5%, with Lesotho ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Lesotho and Malawi?
- 25 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2024.
- How do Lesotho and Malawi rank globally for share of urban and rural population using safely managed sanitation services?
- Lesotho ranks 50th and Malawi ranks 52nd of 100 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Share of urban and rural population using safely managed sanitation services. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Proportion of people using improved sanitation facilities that are not shared with other households and where excreta are safely disposed in situ or transported and treated off-site.