Proportion of population practicing open defecation, by urban/rural in Malawi

Malawi: Proportion of population practicing open defecation, by urban/rural was 1.9% in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
1.9%
Change on year
down 20.8%
World rank
59th
of 213 countries
All-time high
14.6%
in 2000
All-time low
1.9%
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

Proportion of population practicing open defecation, by urban/rural in Malawi, 2000–2024

0510152000201220242000: 14.62001: 14.12002: 13.52003: 132004: 12.52005: 11.92006: 11.42007: 10.92008: 10.32009: 9.82010: 9.32011: 8.72012: 8.22013: 7.72014: 7.12015: 6.62016: 6.12017: 5.62018: 52019: 4.52020: 42021: 3.52022: 32023: 2.52024: 1.9

Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.

Analysis

Malawi recorded 1.9% for proportion of population practicing open defecation, by urban/rural in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

That represents a change of down 20.8% on the previous year and down 72.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, proportion of population practicing open defecation, by urban/rural in Malawi peaked at 14.6% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 1.9%, in 2024.

Malawi ranks 59th of 213 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

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

Proportion of population practicing open defecation, by urban/rural in Malawi, year by year

Annual values for Proportion of population practicing open defecation, by urban/rural (%) in Malawi, 2000 to 2024.
Year Value Change
2000 14.6%
2001 14.1% -3.7%
2002 13.5% -3.8%
2003 13.0% -4.0%
2004 12.5% -4.1%
2005 11.9% -4.3%
2006 11.4% -4.5%
2007 10.9% -4.7%
2008 10.3% -4.9%
2009 9.8% -5.1%
2010 9.3% -5.4%
2011 8.7% -5.7%
2012 8.2% -6.1%
2013 7.7% -6.5%
2014 7.1% -6.9%
2015 6.6% -7.4%
2016 6.1% -8.0%
2017 5.6% -8.6%
2018 5.0% -9.4%
2019 4.5% -10.4%
2020 4.0% -11.5%
2021 3.5% -12.9%
2022 3.0% -14.8%
2023 2.5% -17.3%
2024 1.9% -20.8%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 12.2% 9.8% 14.6% 10
2010s 6.9% 4.5% 9.3% 10
2020s 3.0% 1.9% 4.0% 5

Countries ranked near Malawi

  1. 56 Colombia 2.1% compare
  2. 57 Zambia 2.0% compare
  3. 58 Burundi 2.0% compare
  4. 60 Peru 1.9% compare
  5. 61 Tuvalu 1.8% compare
  6. 62 Comoros 1.8% compare

See the full ranking of 268 places →

More infrastructure data for Malawi

All data for Malawi →

Frequently asked questions

What is proportion of population practicing open defecation, by urban/rural in Malawi?
Proportion of population practicing open defecation, by urban/rural in Malawi was 1.9% in 2024, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
What is the highest proportion of population practicing open defecation, by urban/rural recorded in Malawi?
The highest recorded value was 14.6% in 2000.
What is the lowest proportion of population practicing open defecation, by urban/rural recorded in Malawi?
The lowest recorded value was 1.9% in 2024.
How does Malawi rank for proportion of population practicing open defecation, by urban/rural?
Malawi ranks 59th out of 213 countries with data for 2024.
Is proportion of population practicing open defecation, by urban/rural rising or falling in Malawi?
Over the last ten years it is down 72.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Malawi data come from?
The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Proportion of population practicing open defecation, by urban/rural (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Proportion of population practicing open defecation, by urban/rural in Malawi. Statizoid, drawing on United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Retrieved 24 August 2026, from https://infrastructure.statizoid.com/stat/proportion-of-population-practicing-open-defecation-by-urban-rural-percent/malawi/

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About this data

Indicator
Proportion of population practicing open defecation, by urban/rural (%)
Source
United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database
Licence
UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested)
Coverage
268 places, 6,379 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed