Share of urban vs. rural population using at least basic sanitation in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Share of urban vs. rural population using at least basic sanitation was 21.8% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Share of urban vs. rural population using at least basic sanitation 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
Democratic Republic of Congo recorded 21.8% for share of urban vs. rural population using at least basic sanitation in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of urban vs. rural population using at least basic sanitation in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 23.7% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 21.8%, in 2022.
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 186th of 186 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Share of urban vs. rural population using at least basic sanitation in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 23.7% | — |
| 2001 | 23.5% | -0.9% |
| 2002 | 23.2% | -0.9% |
| 2003 | 23.0% | -0.9% |
| 2004 | 22.8% | -0.9% |
| 2005 | 22.6% | -0.9% |
| 2006 | 22.6% | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 22.6% | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 22.5% | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 22.5% | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 22.5% | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 22.4% | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 22.4% | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 22.4% | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 22.3% | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 22.3% | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 22.2% | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 22.1% | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 22.1% | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 22.0% | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 21.9% | -0.3% |
| 2021 | 21.9% | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 21.8% | -0.3% |
| 2023 | 21.8% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 21.8% | +0.0% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 21.8% is below the median for low income countries, which is 48.0%, 45% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 21.8% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 48.4%, 45% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 22.9% | 22.5% | 23.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 22.3% | 22.0% | 22.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 21.8% | 21.8% | 21.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
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 vs. rural population using at least basic sanitation in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Share of urban vs. rural population using at least basic sanitation in Democratic Republic of Congo was 21.8% 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 Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 23.7% in 2000.
- What is the lowest share of urban vs. rural population using at least basic sanitation recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.8% in 2022.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for share of urban vs. rural population using at least basic sanitation?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 186th out of 186 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of urban vs. rural population using at least basic sanitation rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.3%. 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 vs. rural population using at least basic sanitation. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Proportion of people using improved sanitation facilities, such as toilets or latrines, that are not shared with other households.