Share of population with access to basic handwashing facilities in Nepal

Nepal: Share of population with access to basic handwashing facilities was 68.2% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
68.2%
Change on year
up 2.1%
World rank
64th
of 120 countries
All-time high
68.2%
in 2024
All-time low
46.0%
in 2005
Years of data
20
2005–2024

Share of population with access to basic handwashing facilities in Nepal, 2005–2024

02040602005201420242005: 46 %2006: 46.1 %2007: 46.2 %2008: 46.3 %2009: 46.4 %2010: 47.9 %2011: 49.4 %2012: 50.9 %2013: 52.4 %2014: 53.9 %2015: 55.4 %2016: 56.8 %2017: 58.3 %2018: 59.8 %2019: 61.2 %2020: 62.6 %2021: 64 %2022: 65.5 %2023: 66.9 %2024: 68.2 %

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 Nepal is 68.2%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 20 years on record.

The figure is up 2.1% on the previous year and up 26.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population with access to basic handwashing facilities in Nepal peaked at 68.2% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 46.0%, in 2005.

That places Nepal 64th out of 120 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 20 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 46.2% 46.0% 46.4% 5
2010s 54.6% 47.9% 61.2% 10
2020s 65.4% 62.6% 68.2% 5

Countries ranked near Nepal

  1. 61 Bangladesh 71.8% compare
  2. 62 Colombia 70.4% compare
  3. 63 Jamaica 70.4% compare
  4. 65 Laos 63.6% compare
  5. 66 Yemen 63.3% compare
  6. 67 Kiribati 62.2% compare

See the full ranking of 120 places →

More population data for Nepal

All data for Nepal →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population with access to basic handwashing facilities in Nepal?
Share of population with access to basic handwashing facilities in Nepal was 68.2% 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 Nepal?
The highest recorded value was 68.2% in 2024.
What is the lowest share of population with access to basic handwashing facilities recorded in Nepal?
The lowest recorded value was 46.0% in 2005.
How does Nepal rank for share of population with access to basic handwashing facilities?
Nepal ranks 64th out of 120 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of population with access to basic handwashing facilities rising or falling in Nepal?
Over the last ten years it is up 26.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Nepal 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 — 20 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.