Share of urban vs. rural population using at least basic sanitation in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Share of urban vs. rural population using at least basic sanitation was 73.0% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of urban vs. rural population using at least basic sanitation in Afghanistan, 2000–2024
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Afghanistan recorded 73.0% for share of urban vs. rural population using at least basic sanitation in 2024. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.8% on the previous year and up 35.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of urban vs. rural population using at least basic sanitation in Afghanistan peaked at 73.0% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 31.9%, in 2000.
That places Afghanistan 139th out of 186 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 urban vs. rural population using at least basic sanitation in Afghanistan, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 31.9% | — |
| 2001 | 31.9% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 33.4% | +4.7% |
| 2003 | 34.9% | +4.5% |
| 2004 | 36.5% | +4.3% |
| 2005 | 38.0% | +4.1% |
| 2006 | 39.5% | +4.0% |
| 2007 | 41.2% | +4.4% |
| 2008 | 42.9% | +4.2% |
| 2009 | 44.7% | +4.1% |
| 2010 | 46.5% | +4.0% |
| 2011 | 48.3% | +3.8% |
| 2012 | 50.1% | +3.7% |
| 2013 | 51.9% | +3.6% |
| 2014 | 53.7% | +3.5% |
| 2015 | 55.6% | +3.4% |
| 2016 | 57.4% | +3.4% |
| 2017 | 59.3% | +3.3% |
| 2018 | 61.2% | +3.2% |
| 2019 | 63.1% | +3.1% |
| 2020 | 65.1% | +3.1% |
| 2021 | 67.0% | +3.0% |
| 2022 | 69.0% | +2.9% |
| 2023 | 71.0% | +2.9% |
| 2024 | 73.0% | +2.8% |
Afghanistan compared with similar countries
- Afghanistan's 73.0% is above the median for low income countries, which is 48.0%, 1.5× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Afghanistan's 73.0% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 97.9%, 74% of the median. (19 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 37.5% | 31.9% | 44.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 54.7% | 46.5% | 63.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 69.0% | 65.1% | 73.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Afghanistan
- 136 Botswana 77.3% compare
- 137 South Africa 76.6% compare
- 138 Solomon Islands 74.8% compare
- 140 Nauru 71.3% compare
- 141 Senegal 71.0% compare
- 142 Equatorial Guinea 69.9% compare
More population data for Afghanistan
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.4637 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate 0.2412 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.4637 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.2115 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 74,075 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 2.39 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.2522 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth 0.4% (2100)
- Population density 199.65 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 9.03 million people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of urban vs. rural population using at least basic sanitation in Afghanistan?
- Share of urban vs. rural population using at least basic sanitation in Afghanistan was 73.0% 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 vs. rural population using at least basic sanitation recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 73.0% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of urban vs. rural population using at least basic sanitation recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 31.9% in 2000.
- How does Afghanistan rank for share of urban vs. rural population using at least basic sanitation?
- Afghanistan ranks 139th out of 186 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of urban vs. rural population using at least basic sanitation rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 35.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Afghanistan 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 vs. rural population using at least basic sanitation. 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
Proportion of people using improved sanitation facilities, such as toilets or latrines, that are not shared with other households.