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

Latest (2024)
73.0%
Change on year
up 2.8%
World rank
139th
of 186 countries
All-time high
73.0%
in 2024
All-time low
31.9%
in 2000
Years of data
25
2000–2024

Share of urban vs. rural population using at least basic sanitation in Afghanistan, 2000–2024

0204060802000201220242000: 31.9 %2001: 31.9 %2002: 33.4 %2003: 34.9 %2004: 36.5 %2005: 38 %2006: 39.5 %2007: 41.2 %2008: 42.9 %2009: 44.7 %2010: 46.5 %2011: 48.3 %2012: 50.1 %2013: 51.9 %2014: 53.7 %2015: 55.6 %2016: 57.4 %2017: 59.3 %2018: 61.2 %2019: 63.1 %2020: 65.1 %2021: 67 %2022: 69 %2023: 71 %2024: 73 %

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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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

  1. 136 Botswana 77.3% compare
  2. 137 South Africa 76.6% compare
  3. 138 Solomon Islands 74.8% compare
  4. 140 Nauru 71.3% compare
  5. 141 Senegal 71.0% compare
  6. 142 Equatorial Guinea 69.9% compare

See the full ranking of 186 places →

More population data for Afghanistan

All data for Afghanistan →

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

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About this data

Indicator
Share of urban vs. rural population using at least basic sanitation
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
186 places, 4,556 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed

Proportion of people using improved sanitation facilities, such as toilets or latrines, that are not shared with other households.