Share of urban and rural population using safely managed sanitation services in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Share of urban and rural population using safely managed sanitation services was 11.2% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Share of urban and rural population using safely managed sanitation services in Democratic Republic of Congo, 2000–2024
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 urban and rural population using safely managed sanitation services in Democratic Republic of Congo is 11.2%, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
That represents a change of down 24.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of urban and rural population using safely managed sanitation services in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 23.7% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 11.2%, in 2020.
That places Democratic Republic of Congo 92nd out of 100 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Share of urban and rural population using safely managed sanitation services in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 23.7% | — |
| 2001 | 23.1% | -2.5% |
| 2002 | 22.5% | -2.6% |
| 2003 | 21.9% | -2.6% |
| 2004 | 21.3% | -2.7% |
| 2005 | 20.7% | -2.8% |
| 2006 | 20.0% | -3.3% |
| 2007 | 19.4% | -3.3% |
| 2008 | 18.7% | -3.4% |
| 2009 | 18.0% | -3.5% |
| 2010 | 17.4% | -3.6% |
| 2011 | 16.7% | -3.7% |
| 2012 | 16.1% | -3.8% |
| 2013 | 15.5% | -3.9% |
| 2014 | 14.8% | -4.1% |
| 2015 | 14.2% | -4.2% |
| 2016 | 13.6% | -4.4% |
| 2017 | 13.0% | -4.5% |
| 2018 | 12.4% | -4.7% |
| 2019 | 11.8% | -4.9% |
| 2020 | 11.2% | -5.1% |
| 2021 | 11.2% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 11.2% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 11.2% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 11.2% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 20.9% | 18.0% | 23.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.5% | 11.8% | 17.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.2% | 11.2% | 11.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
- 89 Somalia 15.5% compare
- 90 Papua New Guinea 14.4% compare
- 91 Togo 11.4% compare
- 93 Sierra Leone 10.8% compare
- 94 Benin 10.7% compare
- 95 Madagascar 10.0% compare
More population data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.6699 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate 1.57 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.6699 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.6537 % change on previous year (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.1964 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth 0.7% (2100)
- Population density 189.99 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 33.44 million people (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development 0.7% (2100)
- Number of people living in urban and rural areas, annual growth rate 4.1 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of urban and rural population using safely managed sanitation services in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Share of urban and rural population using safely managed sanitation services in Democratic Republic of Congo was 11.2% 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 urban and rural population using safely managed sanitation services recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 23.7% in 2000.
- What is the lowest share of urban and rural population using safely managed sanitation services recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.2% in 2020.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for share of urban and rural population using safely managed sanitation services?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 92nd out of 100 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of urban and rural population using safely managed sanitation services rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is down 24.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo 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 urban and rural population using safely managed sanitation services. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Proportion of people using improved sanitation facilities that are not shared with other households and where excreta are safely disposed in situ or transported and treated off-site.