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

Sierra Leone: Proportion of population practicing open defecation, by urban/rural was 15.3% in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
15.3%
Change on year
down 2.6%
World rank
25th
of 213 countries
All-time high
25.5%
in 2000
All-time low
15.3%
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

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

01020302000201220242000: 25.52001: 25.12002: 24.72003: 24.32004: 23.92005: 23.52006: 232007: 22.62008: 22.12009: 21.72010: 21.32011: 20.82012: 20.42013: 202014: 19.52015: 19.12016: 18.72017: 18.32018: 17.92019: 17.42020: 172021: 16.62022: 16.22023: 15.82024: 15.3

Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.

Analysis

The most recent figure for proportion of population practicing open defecation, by urban/rural in Sierra Leone is 15.3%, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.6% on the previous year and down 21.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, proportion of population practicing open defecation, by urban/rural in Sierra Leone peaked at 25.5% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 15.3%, in 2024.

Sierra Leone ranks 25th of 213 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

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 Sierra Leone, year by year

Annual values for Proportion of population practicing open defecation, by urban/rural (%) in Sierra Leone, 2000 to 2024.
Year Value Change
2000 25.5%
2001 25.1% -1.6%
2002 24.7% -1.6%
2003 24.3% -1.7%
2004 23.9% -1.7%
2005 23.5% -1.8%
2006 23.0% -1.9%
2007 22.6% -1.9%
2008 22.1% -1.9%
2009 21.7% -2.0%
2010 21.3% -2.0%
2011 20.8% -2.0%
2012 20.4% -2.1%
2013 20.0% -2.1%
2014 19.5% -2.1%
2015 19.1% -2.2%
2016 18.7% -2.2%
2017 18.3% -2.3%
2018 17.9% -2.3%
2019 17.4% -2.4%
2020 17.0% -2.4%
2021 16.6% -2.5%
2022 16.2% -2.5%
2023 15.8% -2.6%
2024 15.3% -2.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 23.6% 21.7% 25.5% 10
2010s 19.3% 17.4% 21.3% 10
2020s 16.2% 15.3% 17.0% 5

Countries ranked near Sierra Leone

  1. 22 Mozambique 16.0% compare
  2. 23 Djibouti 15.9% compare
  3. 24 Papua New Guinea 15.6% compare
  4. 26 Lesotho 14.8% compare
  5. 27 Somalia 14.4% compare
  6. 28 Zimbabwe 12.6% compare

See the full ranking of 268 places →

More infrastructure data for Sierra Leone

All data for Sierra Leone →

Frequently asked questions

What is proportion of population practicing open defecation, by urban/rural in Sierra Leone?
Proportion of population practicing open defecation, by urban/rural in Sierra Leone was 15.3% 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 Sierra Leone?
The highest recorded value was 25.5% in 2000.
What is the lowest proportion of population practicing open defecation, by urban/rural recorded in Sierra Leone?
The lowest recorded value was 15.3% in 2024.
How does Sierra Leone rank for proportion of population practicing open defecation, by urban/rural?
Sierra Leone ranks 25th out of 213 countries with data for 2024.
Is proportion of population practicing open defecation, by urban/rural rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
Over the last ten years it is down 21.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Sierra Leone 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.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Proportion of population practicing open defecation, by urban/rural in Sierra Leone. Statizoid, drawing on United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Retrieved 27 August 2026, from https://infrastructure.statizoid.com/stat/proportion-of-population-practicing-open-defecation-by-urban-rural-percent/sierra-leone/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://infrastructure.statizoid.com/stat/proportion-of-population-practicing-open-defecation-by-urban-rural-percent/sierra-leone/">Proportion of population practicing open defecation, by urban/rural in Sierra Leone</a> — Statizoid

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