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

Namibia: Share of urban vs. rural population using at least basic sanitation was 50.2% in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
50.2%
Change on year
down 0.5%
World rank
159th
of 186 countries
All-time high
58.8%
in 2000
All-time low
50.2%
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

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

02040602000201220242000: 58.8 %2001: 58.4 %2002: 58 %2003: 57.6 %2004: 57.2 %2005: 56.8 %2006: 56.4 %2007: 56 %2008: 55.6 %2009: 55.2 %2010: 54.8 %2011: 54.4 %2012: 54 %2013: 53.6 %2014: 53.3 %2015: 52.9 %2016: 52.5 %2017: 52.1 %2018: 51.7 %2019: 51.5 %2020: 51.2 %2021: 50.9 %2022: 50.7 %2023: 50.4 %2024: 50.2 %

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of urban vs. rural population using at least basic sanitation in Namibia is 50.2%, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

The figure is down 0.5% on the previous year and down 5.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of urban vs. rural population using at least basic sanitation in Namibia peaked at 58.8% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 50.2%, in 2024.

Namibia ranks 159th 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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 57.0% 55.2% 58.8% 10
2010s 53.1% 51.5% 54.8% 10
2020s 50.7% 50.2% 51.2% 5

Countries ranked near Namibia

  1. 156 Niger 53.1% compare
  2. 157 Sao Tome and Principe 51.3% compare
  3. 158 Vanuatu 50.8% compare
  4. 160 Kiribati 49.3% compare
  5. 161 Papua New Guinea 48.5% compare
  6. 162 Burkina Faso 48.4% compare

See the full ranking of 186 places →

More population data for Namibia

All data for Namibia →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of urban vs. rural population using at least basic sanitation in Namibia?
Share of urban vs. rural population using at least basic sanitation in Namibia was 50.2% 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 Namibia?
The highest recorded value was 58.8% in 2000.
What is the lowest share of urban vs. rural population using at least basic sanitation recorded in Namibia?
The lowest recorded value was 50.2% in 2024.
How does Namibia rank for share of urban vs. rural population using at least basic sanitation?
Namibia ranks 159th out of 186 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of urban vs. rural population using at least basic sanitation rising or falling in Namibia?
Over the last ten years it is down 5.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Namibia 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.