Share of people practicing open defecation in Lesotho
Lesotho: Share of people practicing open defecation was 14.8% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Share of people practicing open defecation in Lesotho, 2000–2024
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 14.8% for share of people practicing open defecation in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
The figure is down 7.3% on the previous year and down 44.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of people practicing open defecation in Lesotho peaked at 45.8% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 14.8%, in 2024.
That places Lesotho 27th out of 232 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.
Share of people practicing open defecation in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 45.8% | — |
| 2001 | 44.4% | -3.2% |
| 2002 | 42.9% | -3.3% |
| 2003 | 41.5% | -3.3% |
| 2004 | 40.1% | -3.4% |
| 2005 | 38.6% | -3.5% |
| 2006 | 37.2% | -3.6% |
| 2007 | 35.9% | -3.6% |
| 2008 | 34.5% | -3.8% |
| 2009 | 33.2% | -3.9% |
| 2010 | 31.9% | -4.0% |
| 2011 | 30.5% | -4.1% |
| 2012 | 29.3% | -4.2% |
| 2013 | 28.0% | -4.3% |
| 2014 | 26.8% | -4.5% |
| 2015 | 25.5% | -4.6% |
| 2016 | 24.3% | -4.8% |
| 2017 | 23.1% | -5.0% |
| 2018 | 21.9% | -5.3% |
| 2019 | 20.7% | -5.5% |
| 2020 | 19.5% | -5.8% |
| 2021 | 18.3% | -6.1% |
| 2022 | 17.1% | -6.5% |
| 2023 | 15.9% | -6.8% |
| 2024 | 14.8% | -7.3% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 14.8% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 6.7%, 2.2× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 14.8% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 12.1%, 1.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 39.4% | 33.2% | 45.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 26.2% | 20.7% | 31.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.1% | 14.8% | 19.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 24 Djibouti 15.9% compare
- 25 Papua New Guinea 15.6% compare
- 26 Sierra Leone 15.3% compare
- 28 Somalia 14.4% compare
- 29 Zimbabwe 12.6% compare
- 30 Democratic Republic of Congo 11.7% compare
More population data for Lesotho
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.3315 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.1905 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -1.14 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.1905 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development -0.2% (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 190,191 people (2100)
- Population density 107.36 people per km² (2100)
- World population growth -0.2% (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.6353 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, per capita 0.5533 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of people practicing open defecation in Lesotho?
- Share of people practicing open defecation in Lesotho was 14.8% 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 Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 45.8% in 2000.
- What is the lowest share of people practicing open defecation recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.8% in 2024.
- How does Lesotho rank for share of people practicing open defecation?
- Lesotho ranks 27th out of 232 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of people practicing open defecation rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 44.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Lesotho 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
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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.