Share of people practicing open defecation in Cuba
Cuba: Share of people practicing open defecation was 0.2% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Share of people practicing open defecation in Cuba, 2000–2024
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Cuba recorded 0.2% for share of people practicing open defecation in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
The figure is down 0.3% on the previous year and down 74.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of people practicing open defecation in Cuba peaked at 1.7% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 0.2%, in 2024.
That places Cuba 105th out of 232 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of people practicing open defecation in Cuba, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 1.7% | — |
| 2001 | 1.6% | -4.7% |
| 2002 | 1.5% | -4.9% |
| 2003 | 1.5% | -5.0% |
| 2004 | 1.4% | -5.1% |
| 2005 | 1.3% | -5.3% |
| 2006 | 1.2% | -5.6% |
| 2007 | 1.2% | -5.9% |
| 2008 | 1.1% | -6.3% |
| 2009 | 1.0% | -6.7% |
| 2010 | 1.0% | -7.1% |
| 2011 | 0.9% | -7.6% |
| 2012 | 0.8% | -8.2% |
| 2013 | 0.7% | -8.8% |
| 2014 | 0.7% | -9.6% |
| 2015 | 0.6% | -10.7% |
| 2016 | 0.5% | -11.9% |
| 2017 | 0.5% | -13.5% |
| 2018 | 0.4% | -15.6% |
| 2019 | 0.3% | -18.5% |
| 2020 | 0.2% | -22.6% |
| 2021 | 0.2% | -29.2% |
| 2022 | 0.2% | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 0.2% | -0.3% |
| 2024 | 0.2% | -0.3% |
Cuba compared with similar countries
- Cuba's 0.2% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.3%, 64% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Cuba's 0.2% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 0.6%, 30% of the median. (41 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of people practicing open defecation in Cuba changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | -29.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1.4% | 1.0% | 1.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.6% | 0.3% | 1.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Cuba
- 102 Tunisia 0.2% compare
- 103 Croatia 0.2% compare
- 104 Trinidad and Tobago 0.2% compare
- 106 Northern Mariana Islands 0.2% compare
- 107 Samoa 0.2% compare
- 108 Antigua and Barbuda 0.1% compare
More population data for Cuba
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.9101 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -1.07 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -4.39 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -1.07 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development -1.1% (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 195,101 people (2100)
- Population density 53.73 people per km² (2100)
- World population growth -1.1% (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.9735 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population -0.2775 Percent per annum (2030)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of people practicing open defecation in Cuba?
- Share of people practicing open defecation in Cuba was 0.2% 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 Cuba?
- The highest recorded value was 1.7% in 2000.
- What is the lowest share of people practicing open defecation recorded in Cuba?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2% in 2024.
- How does Cuba rank for share of people practicing open defecation?
- Cuba ranks 105th out of 232 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of people practicing open defecation rising or falling in Cuba?
- Over the last ten years it is down 74.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Cuba 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
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.