Share of urban vs. rural population using at least basic sanitation in Ethiopia

Ethiopia: Share of urban vs. rural population using at least basic sanitation was 24.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
24.1%
Change on year
up 2.0%
World rank
183rd
of 186 countries
All-time high
24.1%
in 2024
All-time low
14.7%
in 2000
Years of data
25
2000–2024

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

05101520252000201220242000: 14.7 %2001: 14.8 %2002: 15 %2003: 15.2 %2004: 15.5 %2005: 15.9 %2006: 16.3 %2007: 16.7 %2008: 17.1 %2009: 17.5 %2010: 17.9 %2011: 18.3 %2012: 18.7 %2013: 19.1 %2014: 19.6 %2015: 20 %2016: 20.4 %2017: 20.9 %2018: 21.3 %2019: 21.8 %2020: 22.2 %2021: 22.7 %2022: 23.1 %2023: 23.6 %2024: 24.1 %

Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

Ethiopia recorded 24.1% 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.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.0% on the previous year and up 22.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of urban vs. rural population using at least basic sanitation in Ethiopia peaked at 24.1% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 14.7%, in 2000.

That places Ethiopia 183rd out of 186 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 15.9% 14.7% 17.5% 10
2010s 19.8% 17.9% 21.8% 10
2020s 23.1% 22.2% 24.1% 5

Countries ranked near Ethiopia

  1. 180 Benin 32.4% compare
  2. 181 Congo 27.2% compare
  3. 182 Central African Republic 24.5% compare
  4. 184 Madagascar 22.2% compare
  5. 185 Eritrea 22.0% compare
  6. 186 Democratic Republic of Congo 21.8% compare

See the full ranking of 186 places →

More population data for Ethiopia

All data for Ethiopia →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of urban vs. rural population using at least basic sanitation in Ethiopia?
Share of urban vs. rural population using at least basic sanitation in Ethiopia was 24.1% 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 Ethiopia?
The highest recorded value was 24.1% in 2024.
What is the lowest share of urban vs. rural population using at least basic sanitation recorded in Ethiopia?
The lowest recorded value was 14.7% in 2000.
How does Ethiopia rank for share of urban vs. rural population using at least basic sanitation?
Ethiopia ranks 183rd out of 186 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of urban vs. rural population using at least basic sanitation rising or falling in Ethiopia?
Over the last ten years it is up 22.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Ethiopia 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

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.