Summary: Liberian economist Samuel Jackson claims that 60% of Liberians practice open defecation, but a result of a fact check by reviewing relevant sources shows that his statement is incorrect. Data from the 2022 Liberia Population and Housing Census, the World Bank, and USAID indicate that approximately 35% of Liberians, or 1.8 million people, engage in open defecation.
On August 7, during a discussion on Spoon FM, Samuel Jackson, a Liberian economist, asserted that 60% of Liberians practice open defecation. Jackson made the claim while suggesting reforms to the Mineral Industry of Liberia to better serve citizens.
What is Open Defecation?
Open defecation refers to the practice of defecating in open spaces such as fields, forests, bushes, bodies of water, or other outdoor areas rather than using a toilet.
The Claim
Jackson’s exact words were: “60% of us are defecating outside, we ‘popping’ outside, and in Monrovia, they’re putting in the plastic…”
Rating Justification
To fact-check this statement, we first contacted Mr. Jackson to provide the source of the data he used to make the statement.
In a back-to-back interaction via Facebook messenger, Mr. Jackson said the data he cited was derived by himself as a “Socioeconomist.” According to him, the figure he announced is “much higher” considering “the more than 80 percent open defecation in the rural areas”, noting that “the 35 percent mentioned in other reports is totally “unrealistic.”
However, we reviewed the 2022 Liberia Population and Housing Census Report. On page 17 of the report, we found that 32% of Liberian households do not have any toilet facility and are using bushes, beaches, and riversides to defecate.
Meanwhile, a 2022 report by the World Bank regarding people practicing open defecation globally shows that 35.2% of Liberians still practice open defecation.
In addition, the 2021 Liberia Sanitation Market Assessment Report produced by USAID states that about 1.8 million people, or 35% of Liberia’s population practice open defecation.
Conclusion
Based on these findings, we conclude that the claim made by Liberian economist Samuel Jackson that 60% of Liberians practice Open Defecation is incorrect.
According to data from Liberia’s Statistics House (LISGIS), the World Bank, and USAID, about 35% or 1.8 million Liberians practice open defecation.
This report is produced with funding from the USAID Media Activity. The funder has No say in the editorial decisions leading to the production of this content