Proportion of population with basic handwashing facilities on in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Proportion of population with basic handwashing facilities on was 26.8% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Proportion of population with basic handwashing facilities on in Sub-Saharan Africa, 2011–2024
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
Analysis
In 2024, proportion of population with basic handwashing facilities on in Sub-Saharan Africa stood at 26.8%. That is the highest value across all 14 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.3% on the previous year and up 19.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of population with basic handwashing facilities on in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 26.8% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 21.7%, in 2011.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 14 years of available data.
Proportion of population with basic handwashing facilities on in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 21.7% | — |
| 2012 | 22.7% | +4.3% |
| 2013 | 23.4% | +3.4% |
| 2014 | 22.5% | -4.1% |
| 2015 | 22.6% | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 23.2% | +2.4% |
| 2017 | 23.6% | +1.7% |
| 2018 | 23.9% | +1.5% |
| 2019 | 24.3% | +1.7% |
| 2020 | 24.6% | +1.0% |
| 2021 | 23.9% | -2.9% |
| 2022 | 24.3% | +1.7% |
| 2023 | 26.2% | +7.8% |
| 2024 | 26.8% | +2.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 23.1% | 21.7% | 24.3% | 9 |
| 2020s | 25.1% | 23.9% | 26.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
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More infrastructure data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Mobile cellular subscriptions 1.20 billion (2025)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions 90.4 per 100 people (2025)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions 5.00 million (2025)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions 0.4 per 100 people (2025)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, per capita 0.0038 units per person (2025)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, annual growth rate -16.67 % change on previous year (2025)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, gaps filled 5.00 million (2025)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, per capita 0.9049 units per person (2025)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0.0005 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is proportion of population with basic handwashing facilities on in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Proportion of population with basic handwashing facilities on in Sub-Saharan Africa was 26.8% in 2024, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest proportion of population with basic handwashing facilities on recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 26.8% in 2024.
- What is the lowest proportion of population with basic handwashing facilities on recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.7% in 2011.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for proportion of population with basic handwashing facilities on?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 17th out of 19 groups with data for 2024.
- Is proportion of population with basic handwashing facilities on rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 19.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Proportion of population with basic handwashing facilities on premises, by urban/rural (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).