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Indicators · Infrastructure

Access to basic sanitation

Share of people using at least a basic sanitation facility not shared with other households (WHO and UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme).

Why it matters

Measures the gap in water and sanitation infrastructure, a large public and blended-finance investment area with direct health returns.

Read with care

Estimates for many countries rest on infrequent household surveys.

Source

World Bank

% of population. 54 African countries, 2000 to 2024.

Sanitation: highest in Seychelles, lowest in Madagascar

Access to basic sanitation, % of population. Latest year available, mostly 2024. 16 of 16 countries have data.

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Source: World Bank· Get the data (Professional)·dotzedw Insights Centre

Ranked: sanitationiWhy it mattersMeasures the gap in water and sanitation infrastructure, a large public and blended-finance investment area with direct health returns.

Click a country to highlight it.

0%20%40%60%80%100%Seychelles99.7%Mauritius97.4%South Africa77.4%Botswana72.1%Eswatini64.5%Comoros57.2%Angola50.3% (2022)Malawi49.2%Lesotho47.9%Namibia38.7%Mozambique38.6%Zambia37.5%Tanzania37.2%Zimbabwe34.6%DRC16.3%Madagascar15.4%median 48.6%
dotzedw Insights Centre
How spread out SADC is
Median 48.6%Lowest: Madagascar 15.4%Highest: Seychelles 99.7%

Over time

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Access to basic sanitation against income per person

Each bubble is a SADC country, sized by population. Dashed lines mark the SADC medians. Countries far from the pattern are worth a closer look.

0.0%20.0%40.0%60.0%80.0%100.0%$1,000$3,000$10kGDP per person, US$ (log scale)SanitationDRCTanzaniaSouth AfricaAngolaMozambiqueMadagascarMalawiZimbabwe
Source: World Bank, World Bank·dotzedw Insights Centre

Table

The same figures as the map, for screen readers and copying.
RankCountryValueYearFive-year changeGradeDetails
1Seychelles99.7%2024up 0.8 points since 2019A
2Mauritius97.4%2024up 1.4 point since 2019A
3South Africa77.4%2024up 3.1 points since 2019A
4Botswana72.1%2024up 2.3 points since 2019A
5Eswatini64.5%2024up 3.0 points since 2019A
6Comoros57.2%2024up 5.8 points since 2019A
7Angola50.3%2022up 1.9 point since 2017B
8Malawi49.2%2024up 6.4 points since 2019A
9Lesotho47.9%2024up 6.5 points since 2019A
10Namibia38.7%2024up 1.8 point since 2019A
11Mozambique38.6%2024up 6.5 points since 2019A
12Zambia37.5%2024up 3.6 points since 2019A
13Tanzania37.2%2024up 7.5 points since 2019A
14Zimbabwe34.6%2024down 1.1 point since 2019A
15DRC16.3%2024little changed since 2019A
16Madagascar15.4%2024up 2.2 points since 2019A