Share of population with access to basic handwashing facilities in Malawi

Malawi: Share of population with access to basic handwashing facilities was 15.4% in 2024. ▬ Flat

Latest (2024)
15.4%
Change on year
up 0.3%
World rank
114th
of 120 countries
All-time high
15.5%
in 2000
All-time low
15.3%
in 2017
Years of data
25
2000–2024

Share of population with access to basic handwashing facilities in Malawi, 2000–2024

0510152000201220242000: 15.5 %2001: 15.5 %2002: 15.5 %2003: 15.4 %2004: 15.4 %2005: 15.4 %2006: 15.4 %2007: 15.4 %2008: 15.4 %2009: 15.3 %2010: 15.3 %2011: 15.3 %2012: 15.3 %2013: 15.3 %2014: 15.3 %2015: 15.3 %2016: 15.3 %2017: 15.3 %2018: 15.3 %2019: 15.3 %2020: 15.3 %2021: 15.3 %2022: 15.3 %2023: 15.4 %2024: 15.4 %

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 population with access to basic handwashing facilities in Malawi is 15.4%, measured in 2024.

The figure is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 0.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population with access to basic handwashing facilities in Malawi peaked at 15.5% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 15.3%, in 2017.

That places Malawi 114th out of 120 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 15.4% 15.3% 15.5% 10
2010s 15.3% 15.3% 15.3% 10
2020s 15.3% 15.3% 15.4% 5

Countries ranked near Malawi

  1. 111 Mali 17.3% compare
  2. 112 Somalia 16.5% compare
  3. 113 Mozambique 15.8% compare
  4. 115 Gambia 13.0% compare
  5. 116 Benin 12.9% compare
  6. 117 Sudan 10.8% compare

See the full ranking of 120 places →

More population data for Malawi

All data for Malawi →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population with access to basic handwashing facilities in Malawi?
Share of population with access to basic handwashing facilities in Malawi was 15.4% 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 population with access to basic handwashing facilities recorded in Malawi?
The highest recorded value was 15.5% in 2000.
What is the lowest share of population with access to basic handwashing facilities recorded in Malawi?
The lowest recorded value was 15.3% in 2017.
How does Malawi rank for share of population with access to basic handwashing facilities?
Malawi ranks 114th out of 120 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of population with access to basic handwashing facilities rising or falling in Malawi?
Over the last ten years it is up 0.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
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 population with access to basic handwashing 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
Share of population with access to basic handwashing facilities
Unit
%
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
120 places, 1,792 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed

Proportion of people with access to a handwashing facility with soap and water available at home.