Algeria: People with basic handwashing facilities including soap and water, urban (% of urban population)

Key figures

Over five years it is down 0.05 percentage points from 88.05% in 2019. Since 2007 it is down 0.26 percentage points from 88.26% in 2007.

What the numbers say

In 2024, Algeria's people with basic handwashing facilities including soap and water, urban (% of urban population) did not change 0 percentage points on 2023 (from 88% to 88%).

Across the 16 yearly changes before that (2008 to 2023), the average change was −0.02 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.01 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.3 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly fall was 0.03 percentage points in 2012. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is downward, about 0.02 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 91% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2024, Algeria had the 23rd highest value of the 71 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Algeria in the 2024 ranking

• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 20th of 71: 89.8%
• Mongolia — 21st of 71: 88.73%
• El Salvador — 22nd of 71: 88.32%
• Syrian Arab Republic — 24th of 71: 87.33%
• Costa Rica — 25th of 71: 86.54%
• Tonga — 26th of 71: 85.5%

What this measures

The percentage of people living in households that have a handwashing facility with soap and water available on the premises. Handwashing facilities may be fixed or mobile and include a sink with tap water, buckets with taps, tippy-taps, and jugs or basins designated for handwashing. Soap includes bar soap, liquid soap, powder detergent, and soapy water but does not include ash, soil, sand or other handwashing agents.

Limitations: Generally, data on handwashing facilities are limited in high-income countries due to the infrequent collection of such information. In the early 2000s, even low- and middle-income countries often lacked this data. However, the recent standardization of hygiene-related questions in international surveys has led to an improvement in the availability of data.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 18 values

People with basic handwashing facilities including soap and water, urban (% of urban population) in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — 60.12% (2024)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 89.8% (2024)
• Iraq — 97.6% (2024)
• Pakistan — 92.09% (2024)
• Syrian Arab Republic — 87.33% (2024)
• Tunisia — 94.52% (2024)
• West Bank and Gaza — 94.74% (2024)
• Yemen, Rep. — 73.77% (2024)

More health data for Algeria

• Population ages 00-04, female (% of female population) — 9.49% (2025)
• Population ages 00-04, male (% of male population) — 9.51% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female — 6.95 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female (% of female population) — 29.9% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male — 7.24 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male (% of male population) — 29.95% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, total — 14.2 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14 (% of total population) — 29.93% (2025)
• Population ages 05-09, female (% of female population) — 10.52% (2025)
• Population ages 05-09, male (% of male population) — 10.53% (2025)
• Population ages 10-14, female (% of female population) — 9.89% (2025)
• Population ages 10-14, male (% of male population) — 9.91% (2025)
• Population ages 15-19, female (% of female population) — 8.09% (2025)
• Population ages 15-19, male (% of male population) — 8.13% (2025)
• Population ages 15-64, female — 14.63 million (2025)

Every indicator for Algeria is on the Algeria data page.

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Algeria's people with basic handwashing facilities including soap and water, urban (% of urban population)?

88% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2007?

It is down 0.26 percentage points from 88.26% in 2007. The highest value was 88.26% in 2007 and the lowest 88% in 2021.

How does Algeria rank?

23rd highest of 71 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in people with basic handwashing facilities including soap and water, urban (% of urban population) unusual for Algeria?

In 2024, Algeria's people with basic handwashing facilities including soap and water, urban (% of urban population) did not change 0 percentage points on 2023 (from 88% to 88%). Across the 16 yearly changes before that (2008 to 2023), the average change was −0.02 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.01 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.3 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Where does this data come from?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene, World Health Organization (WHO), uri: washdata.org, publisher: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (washdata.org), date accessed: 2025-09-30, date published: 2025-08….

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SH.STA.HYGN.UR.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene, World Health Organization (WHO), uri: washdata.org, publisher: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (washdata.org), date accessed: 2025-09-30, date published: 2025-08… Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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