People using improved sanitation facilities in Malawi

Malawi: People using improved sanitation facilities was 16.44 million people in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
16.44 million people
Change on year
up 2.7%
World rank
62nd
of 232 countries
All-time high
16.44 million people
in 2024
All-time low
1.65 million people
in 2000
Years of data
25
2000–2024

People using improved sanitation facilities in Malawi, 2000–2024

05.0M10.0M15.0M2000201220242000: 1.6M people2001: 1.7M people2002: 1.7M people2003: 1.8M people2004: 1.8M people2005: 2.3M people2006: 2.8M people2007: 3.4M people2008: 4.0M people2009: 4.6M people2010: 5.2M people2011: 5.9M people2012: 6.6M people2013: 7.3M people2014: 8.1M people2015: 8.9M people2016: 9.7M people2017: 10.6M people2018: 11.5M people2019: 12.5M people2020: 13.5M people2021: 14.5M people2022: 15.6M people2023: 16.0M people2024: 16.4M people

Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.

Analysis

In 2024, people using improved sanitation facilities in Malawi stood at 16.44 million people. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.7% on the previous year and up 103.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, people using improved sanitation facilities in Malawi peaked at 16.44 million people in 2024 and was at its lowest, 1.65 million people, in 2000.

That places Malawi 62nd 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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 2.57 million people 1.65 million people 4.56 million people 10
2010s 8.63 million people 5.20 million people 12.49 million people 10
2020s 15.21 million people 13.49 million people 16.44 million people 5

Countries ranked near Malawi

  1. 59 Ecuador 17.78 million people compare
  2. 60 Romania 17.27 million people compare
  3. 61 Mali 16.56 million people compare
  4. 63 Cambodia 16.34 million people compare
  5. 64 Mozambique 15.27 million people compare
  6. 65 Guatemala 15.20 million people compare

See the full ranking of 232 places →

More population data for Malawi

All data for Malawi →

Frequently asked questions

What is people using improved sanitation facilities in Malawi?
People using improved sanitation facilities in Malawi was 16.44 million people 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 people using improved sanitation facilities recorded in Malawi?
The highest recorded value was 16.44 million people in 2024.
What is the lowest people using improved sanitation facilities recorded in Malawi?
The lowest recorded value was 1.65 million people in 2000.
How does Malawi rank for people using improved sanitation facilities?
Malawi ranks 62nd out of 232 countries with data for 2024.
Is people using improved sanitation facilities rising or falling in Malawi?
Over the last ten years it is up 103.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
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 People using improved sanitation facilities. 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

Indicator
People using improved sanitation facilities
Unit
people
Source
WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
232 places, 5,597 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed

Number of people using improved sanitation facilities, regardless of whether they are shared with other households.