Share of people practicing open defecation in Malawi
Malawi: Share of people practicing open defecation was 1.9% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Share of people practicing open defecation in Malawi, 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 Malawi is 1.9%, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 20.8% on the previous year and down 72.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of people practicing open defecation in Malawi peaked at 14.6% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 1.9%, in 2024.
That places Malawi 69th out of 232 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Share of people practicing open defecation in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 14.6% | — |
| 2001 | 14.1% | -3.7% |
| 2002 | 13.5% | -3.8% |
| 2003 | 13.0% | -4.0% |
| 2004 | 12.5% | -4.1% |
| 2005 | 11.9% | -4.3% |
| 2006 | 11.4% | -4.5% |
| 2007 | 10.9% | -4.7% |
| 2008 | 10.3% | -4.9% |
| 2009 | 9.8% | -5.1% |
| 2010 | 9.3% | -5.4% |
| 2011 | 8.7% | -5.7% |
| 2012 | 8.2% | -6.1% |
| 2013 | 7.7% | -6.5% |
| 2014 | 7.1% | -6.9% |
| 2015 | 6.6% | -7.4% |
| 2016 | 6.1% | -8.0% |
| 2017 | 5.6% | -8.6% |
| 2018 | 5.0% | -9.4% |
| 2019 | 4.5% | -10.4% |
| 2020 | 4.0% | -11.5% |
| 2021 | 3.5% | -12.9% |
| 2022 | 3.0% | -14.8% |
| 2023 | 2.5% | -17.3% |
| 2024 | 1.9% | -20.8% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 1.9% is below the median for low income countries, which is 14.4%, 13% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 1.9% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 12.1%, 16% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 12.2% | 9.8% | 14.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.9% | 4.5% | 9.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.0% | 1.9% | 4.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
More population data for Malawi
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.3622 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.4293 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate 0.1183 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.4293 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development 0.4% (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 3.85 million people (2100)
- Population density 627.29 people per km² (2100)
- World population growth 0.4% (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.2289 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 2.45 Percent per annum (2030)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of people practicing open defecation in Malawi?
- Share of people practicing open defecation in Malawi was 1.9% 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 Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 14.6% in 2000.
- What is the lowest share of people practicing open defecation recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.9% in 2024.
- How does Malawi rank for share of people practicing open defecation?
- Malawi ranks 69th out of 232 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of people practicing open defecation rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 72.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malawi 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.