Zimbabwe: People practicing open defecation (% of population)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Zimbabwe's people practicing open defecation (% of population) fell 0.9 percentage points on 2023 (from 13.53% to 12.63%).

Across the 23 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2023), the average change was −0.85 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.16 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly fall was 1.08 percentage points in 2002. 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 0.92 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 100% 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.

A straight-line projection, tested first

Extending that straight line gives about 9.91% for 2027. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2022 to 2024 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was 0.13%, against 1.85% for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.

See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.

How it compares

In 2024, Zimbabwe had the 26th highest value of the 182 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 Zimbabwe in the 2024 ranking

• Sierra Leone — 22nd of 182: 15.35%
• Lesotho — 23rd of 182: 14.76%
• Somalia, Fed. Rep. — 24th of 182: 14.44%
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 26th of 182: 11.66%
• Afghanistan — 27th of 182: 11.17%
• Lao PDR — 28th of 182: 8.73%

What this measures

People practicing open defecation refers to the percentage of the population defecating in the open, such as in fields, forest, bushes, open bodies of water, on beaches, in other open spaces or disposed of with solid waste.

Limitations: National, regional and income group estimates are made when data are available for at least 50 percent of the population.

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

All 25 values

People practicing open defecation (% of population) in nearby economies

• Angola — 25.72% (2022)
• Benin — 47.04% (2024)
• Botswana — 5.43% (2024)
• Burkina Faso — 29.87% (2024)
• Burundi — 1.97% (2024)
• Cabo Verde — 3.42% (2024)
• Cameroon — 4.44% (2024)
• Central African Republic — 24.72% (2024)
• Chad — 62.22% (2024)
• Comoros

More health data for Zimbabwe

• Population ages 00-04, female (% of female population) — 13.18% (2025)
• Population ages 00-04, male (% of male population) — 14.69% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female — 3.39 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female (% of female population) — 38.26% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male — 3.44 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male (% of male population) — 42.5% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, total — 6.83 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14 (% of total population) — 40.28% (2025)
• Population ages 05-09, female (% of female population) — 12.32% (2025)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Zimbabwe's people practicing open defecation (% of population)?

12.63% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2000?

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SH.STA.ODFC.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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