Share of people practicing open defecation in Peru
Peru: Share of people practicing open defecation was 1.9% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Share of people practicing open defecation in Peru, 2000–2024
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, share of people practicing open defecation in Peru stood at 1.9%. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
The figure is down 23.8% on the previous year and down 76.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of people practicing open defecation in Peru peaked at 18.5% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 1.9%, in 2024.
That places Peru 70th 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 Peru, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 18.5% | — |
| 2001 | 17.6% | -4.5% |
| 2002 | 16.8% | -4.7% |
| 2003 | 16.0% | -4.8% |
| 2004 | 15.2% | -5.0% |
| 2005 | 14.4% | -5.2% |
| 2006 | 13.7% | -5.3% |
| 2007 | 12.9% | -5.6% |
| 2008 | 12.2% | -5.5% |
| 2009 | 11.5% | -5.6% |
| 2010 | 10.8% | -5.9% |
| 2011 | 10.2% | -6.2% |
| 2012 | 9.5% | -6.6% |
| 2013 | 8.8% | -7.0% |
| 2014 | 8.2% | -7.4% |
| 2015 | 7.5% | -7.9% |
| 2016 | 6.9% | -8.5% |
| 2017 | 6.2% | -9.3% |
| 2018 | 5.6% | -10.1% |
| 2019 | 5.0% | -11.2% |
| 2020 | 4.4% | -12.5% |
| 2021 | 3.7% | -14.2% |
| 2022 | 3.1% | -16.4% |
| 2023 | 2.5% | -19.4% |
| 2024 | 1.9% | -23.8% |
Peru compared with similar countries
- Peru's 1.9% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.3%, 7.3× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Peru's 1.9% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 0.6%, 3.4× the median. (41 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 14.9% | 11.5% | 18.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.9% | 5.0% | 10.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.1% | 1.9% | 4.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Peru
More population data for Peru
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.3151 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.4349 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -0.0396 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.4349 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development -0.4% (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 1.66 million people (2100)
- Population density 29.82 people per km² (2100)
- World population growth -0.4% (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.6906 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.9219 Percent per annum (2030)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of people practicing open defecation in Peru?
- Share of people practicing open defecation in Peru 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 Peru?
- The highest recorded value was 18.5% in 2000.
- What is the lowest share of people practicing open defecation recorded in Peru?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.9% in 2024.
- How does Peru rank for share of people practicing open defecation?
- Peru ranks 70th out of 232 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of people practicing open defecation rising or falling in Peru?
- Over the last ten years it is down 76.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Peru 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.