| Code | SH.STA.ODFC.RU.ZS |
| Indicator Name | People practicing open defecation, rural (% of rural population) |
| Short definition | 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. |
| Long definition | 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. |
| Source | WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene, World Health Organization (WHO), uri: washdata.org, date accessed: 2023-07-25, date published: 2023-07-06;
UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), uri: washdata.org, note: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene |
| Topic | Economic and Social Context |
| Unit of measure | % of rural population |
| Periodicity | Annual |
| Aggregation method | Weighted average |
| Statistical concept and methodology | Methodology: The data sources for sanitation services are household surveys such as Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS), administrative data, census, and other datasets such as compilations by international or regional initiatives (e.g., IB-NET) or studies conducted by research institutions. Based on these national datasets, JMP estimates the proportion of the people accessing different levels of services by using linear regression. You can find the details of estimates including the rules on interpolation, extrapolation and extension in the JMP’s methodology report (https://washdata.org/reports/jmp-2017-methodology).
Statistical concept(s): The JMP classifies the sanitation service levels into five tiers, ranging from the most to the least favorable: safely managed, basic, limited, unimproved, and open defecation (Reference: https://washdata.org/monitoring/sanitation). |
| Development relevance | Access to sanitation is a fundamental human right. Open defecation, which is the practice of relieving oneself outside without proper facilities, is a violation of human dignity and poses a significant threat to public health and nutrition. Poor sanitation is a leading cause of infectious diseases globally, and enhancing sanitation services has been proven to have a substantial positive effect on health outcomes. The provision of basic and safely managed sanitation can decrease the incidence of diarrheal diseases and mitigate the health consequences of other serious illnesses that cause widespread morbidity and mortality among children. Diarrheal conditions and parasitic infections debilitate children, increasing their vulnerability to malnutrition and secondary infections such as pneumonia, measles, and malaria.
The absence of adequate sanitation is especially harmful to women who are forced to defecate in the open, as it compromises their privacy and exposes them to a greater risk of assault and violence. The elimination of open defecation is a specific target within the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG target 6.2), underscoring the international commitment to addressing this critical issue. |
| Limitations and exceptions | National, regional and income group estimates are made when data are available for at least 50 percent of the population. |
| License URL | https://datacatalog.worldbank.org/public-licenses#cc-by |
| License Type | CC BY-4.0 |
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