Share of people practicing open defecation in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Share of people practicing open defecation was 11.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of people practicing open defecation in Democratic Republic of Congo, 2000–2024
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of people practicing open defecation in Democratic Republic of Congo is 11.7%, measured in 2024.
The figure is down 0.8% on the previous year and up 0.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of people practicing open defecation in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 12.0% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 10.5%, in 2000.
That places Democratic Republic of Congo 30th out of 232 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
Share of people practicing open defecation in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 10.5% | — |
| 2001 | 10.6% | +1.0% |
| 2002 | 10.7% | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 10.8% | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 10.8% | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 10.9% | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 11.0% | +0.8% |
| 2007 | 11.1% | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 11.2% | +0.8% |
| 2009 | 11.3% | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 11.4% | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 11.4% | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 11.5% | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 11.6% | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 11.7% | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 11.7% | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 11.8% | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 11.9% | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 11.9% | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 12.0% | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 12.0% | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 11.9% | -0.7% |
| 2022 | 11.8% | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 11.8% | -0.8% |
| 2024 | 11.7% | -0.8% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 11.7% is below the median for low income countries, which is 14.4%, 81% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 11.7% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 12.1%, 96% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 10.9% | 10.5% | 11.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.7% | 11.4% | 12.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.8% | 11.7% | 12.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
More population data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.6537 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.6699 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate 1.57 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.6699 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development 0.7% (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 33.44 million people (2100)
- Population density 189.99 people per km² (2100)
- World population growth 0.7% (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.1964 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, per capita 0.5489 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of people practicing open defecation in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Share of people practicing open defecation in Democratic Republic of Congo was 11.7% in 2024, according to WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of people practicing open defecation recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 12.0% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of people practicing open defecation recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.5% in 2000.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for share of people practicing open defecation?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 30th out of 232 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of people practicing open defecation rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?
- The figures come from WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of people practicing open defecation. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of people who practice open defecation. This includes defecating in fields, forests, bushes, bodies of water or other open spaces, not using any sanitation facilities.