Share of population with improved sanitation faciltities in South Africa

South Africa: Share of population with improved sanitation faciltities was 77.38 in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
77.38
Change on year
up 0.8%
World rank
171st
of 232 countries
All-time high
77.38
in 2024
All-time low
60.5
in 2000
Years of data
25
2000–2024

Share of population with improved sanitation faciltities in South Africa, 2000–2024

0204060802000201220242000: 60.52001: 61.32002: 62.12003: 62.82004: 63.62005: 64.42006: 65.22007: 65.92008: 66.72009: 67.42010: 68.12011: 68.82012: 69.52013: 70.22014: 70.92015: 71.62016: 72.32017: 732018: 73.62019: 74.32020: 74.92021: 75.52022: 76.22023: 76.82024: 77.4

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 77.38 for share of population with improved sanitation faciltities in 2024. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.

The figure is up 0.8% on the previous year and up 9.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population with improved sanitation faciltities in South Africa peaked at 77.38 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 60.5, in 2000.

That places South Africa 171st out of 232 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.

Share of population with improved sanitation faciltities in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Share of population with improved sanitation faciltities in South Africa, 2000 to 2024.
Year Value Change
2000 60.5 —
2001 61.28 +1.3%
2002 62.06 +1.3%
2003 62.85 +1.3%
2004 63.62 +1.2%
2005 64.39 +1.2%
2006 65.15 +1.2%
2007 65.91 +1.2%
2008 66.65 +1.1%
2009 67.39 +1.1%
2010 68.12 +1.1%
2011 68.84 +1.1%
2012 69.55 +1.0%
2013 70.25 +1.0%
2014 70.94 +1.0%
2015 71.63 +1.0%
2016 72.3 +0.9%
2017 72.97 +0.9%
2018 73.63 +0.9%
2019 74.28 +0.9%
2020 74.92 +0.9%
2021 75.55 +0.8%
2022 76.17 +0.8%
2023 76.78 +0.8%
2024 77.38 +0.8%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 77.38 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 92.69, 83% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
  • South Africa's 77.38 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 40.65, 1.9× the median. (48 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 63.98 60.5 67.39 10
2010s 71.25 68.12 74.28 10
2020s 76.16 74.92 77.38 5

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 168 Dominica 80.37 compare
  2. 169 Marshall Islands 78.96 compare
  3. 170 Peru 78.77 compare
  4. 172 Mongolia 74.28 compare
  5. 173 Myanmar 74.18 compare
  6. 174 East Timor 72.94 compare

See the full ranking of 232 places →

More population data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population with improved sanitation faciltities in South Africa?
Share of population with improved sanitation faciltities in South Africa was 77.38 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of population with improved sanitation faciltities recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 77.38 in 2024.
What is the lowest share of population with improved sanitation faciltities recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 60.5 in 2000.
How does South Africa rank for share of population with improved sanitation faciltities?
South Africa ranks 171st out of 232 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of population with improved sanitation faciltities rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 9.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population with improved sanitation faciltities. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of population with improved sanitation faciltities in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 11 November 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-population-with-improved-sanitation-faciltities/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of population with improved sanitation faciltities
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
232 places, 5,597 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed