Urban vs rural population safely managed sanitation in South Africa

South Africa: Urban vs rural population safely managed sanitation was 74.81 in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
74.81
Change on year
up 0.3%
World rank
44th
of 124 countries
All-time high
74.81
in 2024
All-time low
53.99
in 2000
Years of data
25
2000–2024

Urban vs rural population safely managed sanitation in South Africa, 2000–2024

0204060802000201220242000: 542001: 54.12002: 54.32003: 54.42004: 54.52005: 54.72006: 54.82007: 552008: 55.12009: 55.22010: 55.42011: 55.52012: 55.62013: 55.82014: 55.92015: 57.92016: 602017: 62.12018: 64.32019: 66.42020: 68.72021: 70.92022: 73.22023: 74.62024: 74.8

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 74.81 for urban vs rural population safely managed sanitation in 2024. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.

That represents a change of up 0.3% on the previous year and up 33.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, urban vs rural population safely managed sanitation in South Africa peaked at 74.81 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 53.99, in 2000.

South Africa ranks 44th of 124 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

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

Urban vs rural population safely managed sanitation in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Urban vs rural population safely managed sanitation in South Africa, 2000 to 2024.
Year Value Change
2000 53.99
2001 54.13 +0.3%
2002 54.26 +0.3%
2003 54.4 +0.3%
2004 54.54 +0.3%
2005 54.68 +0.3%
2006 54.82 +0.3%
2007 54.96 +0.3%
2008 55.09 +0.3%
2009 55.23 +0.3%
2010 55.37 +0.3%
2011 55.51 +0.2%
2012 55.65 +0.2%
2013 55.79 +0.2%
2014 55.92 +0.2%
2015 57.95 +3.6%
2016 60.01 +3.6%
2017 62.11 +3.5%
2018 64.26 +3.4%
2019 66.43 +3.4%
2020 68.65 +3.3%
2021 70.91 +3.3%
2022 73.21 +3.2%
2023 74.58 +1.9%
2024 74.81 +0.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 54.61 53.99 55.23 10
2010s 58.9 55.37 66.43 10
2020s 72.43 68.65 74.81 5

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 41 Republic of Moldova 77.22 compare
  2. 42 Kazakhstan 75.94 compare
  3. 43 Iran, Islamic Republic of 75.33 compare
  4. 45 Mauritius 72.23 compare
  5. 46 Georgia 71.08 compare
  6. 47 Lao People's Democratic Republic 69.27 compare

See the full ranking of 124 places →

More population data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is urban vs rural population safely managed sanitation in South Africa?
Urban vs rural population safely managed sanitation in South Africa was 74.81 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest urban vs rural population safely managed sanitation recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 74.81 in 2024.
What is the lowest urban vs rural population safely managed sanitation recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 53.99 in 2000.
How does South Africa rank for urban vs rural population safely managed sanitation?
South Africa ranks 44th out of 124 countries with data for 2024.
Is urban vs rural population safely managed sanitation rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 33.8%. 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 Urban vs rural population safely managed sanitation. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Urban vs rural population safely managed sanitation in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 25 August 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/urban-vs-rural-population-safely-managed-sanitation/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Urban vs rural population safely managed sanitation
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
124 places, 3,067 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed