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

Kenya: Share of urban vs. rural population using at least basic sanitation was 39.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
39.7%
Change on year
up 1.2%
World rank
171st
of 186 countries
All-time high
39.7%
in 2024
All-time low
29.0%
in 2000
Years of data
25
2000–2024

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

0102030402000201220242000: 29 %2001: 29.4 %2002: 29.8 %2003: 30.2 %2004: 30.7 %2005: 31.1 %2006: 31.6 %2007: 32 %2008: 32.5 %2009: 32.9 %2010: 33.3 %2011: 33.8 %2012: 34.2 %2013: 34.7 %2014: 35.1 %2015: 35.6 %2016: 36 %2017: 36.5 %2018: 37 %2019: 37.4 %2020: 37.9 %2021: 38.3 %2022: 38.8 %2023: 39.2 %2024: 39.7 %

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

Analysis

Kenya recorded 39.7% 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.

The figure is up 1.2% on the previous year and up 13.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of urban vs. rural population using at least basic sanitation in Kenya peaked at 39.7% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 29.0%, in 2000.

That places Kenya 171st 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 30.9% 29.0% 32.9% 10
2010s 35.4% 33.3% 37.4% 10
2020s 38.8% 37.9% 39.7% 5

Countries ranked near Kenya

  1. 168 Guinea-Bissau 42.8% compare
  2. 169 Burundi 42.0% compare
  3. 170 Zimbabwe 40.4% compare
  4. 172 Chad 39.5% compare
  5. 173 Togo 38.4% compare
  6. 174 South Sudan 37.7% compare

See the full ranking of 186 places →

More population data for Kenya

All data for Kenya →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of urban vs. rural population using at least basic sanitation in Kenya?
Share of urban vs. rural population using at least basic sanitation in Kenya was 39.7% 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 Kenya?
The highest recorded value was 39.7% in 2024.
What is the lowest share of urban vs. rural population using at least basic sanitation recorded in Kenya?
The lowest recorded value was 29.0% in 2000.
How does Kenya rank for share of urban vs. rural population using at least basic sanitation?
Kenya ranks 171st out of 186 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of urban vs. rural population using at least basic sanitation rising or falling in Kenya?
Over the last ten years it is up 13.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Kenya 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.