Key Highlights
- Approximately 60% of people worldwide have access to basic sanitation services
- Nearly 2.2 billion people lack access to safely managed drinking water services
- Basic hygiene services are used by only about 45% of households globally
- Improving access to clean water and sanitation could reduce diarrhea-related deaths by up to 45%
- Poor sanitation is responsible for approximately 432,000 diarrheal deaths annually worldwide
- About 68% of the global population, or around 5.4 billion people, are using a safely managed drinking water service
- Nearly 90% of the world’s population uses a basic drinking water service, but only 71% has access to safely managed sanitation services
- Investments in water and sanitation infrastructure can lead to economic benefits of up to $4 for every $1 invested
- Globally, women and girls spend over 200 million hours collecting water each day
- Access to improved sanitation reduces the risk of cholera outbreaks significantly
- About 15% of the global population lacks access to improved water sources, predominantly in rural areas
- Handwashing with soap can reduce diarrhea cases by around 40%
- 2 billion people worldwide lack basic sanitation facilities, leading to increased health risks
Did you know that over 2 billion people worldwide still lack access to basic sanitation facilities, leading to devastating health risks, economic losses, and gender disparities that threaten progress towards a healthier, more equitable future?
Global Initiatives, Policies, and Progress
- The global target set by the Sustainable Development Goal 6 is to ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all by 2030
- The global community committed to ending open defecation by 2030 under SDG 6.2
Global Initiatives, Policies, and Progress Interpretation
Achieving SDG 6 by 2030 isn't just about turning on the taps — it's a race against time to wipe out open defecation and secure water justice for everyone worldwide.
Health and Disease Prevention
- Improving access to clean water and sanitation could reduce diarrhea-related deaths by up to 45%
- Investments in water and sanitation infrastructure can lead to economic benefits of up to $4 for every $1 invested
- Access to improved sanitation reduces the risk of cholera outbreaks significantly
- Handwashing with soap can reduce diarrhea cases by around 40%
- Safe sanitation can prevent the spread of diseases such as polio, typhoid, and parasitic infections
- Globally, inadequate sanitation and hygiene cause over 500,000 deaths annually, mostly among children under five
- Over 3 billion people lack basic sanitation facilities at home, risking contamination and disease spread
- The WHO estimates that improving water, sanitation, and hygiene could prevent at least 829,000 diarrheal deaths each year
- The hygiene practices established early in childhood are linked to lifelong health benefits, including reduced disease risk
- Safe sanitation and hygiene are critical components in controlling the spread of COVID-19, especially in crowded settings
- Proper sanitation and hygiene can prevent over 700,000 deaths annually from diarrhea and other waterborne diseases
Health and Disease Prevention Interpretation
Investing in clean water and sanitation isn't just a moral imperative—it's an economic and health lifeline, with the potential to save hundreds of thousands of lives annually while delivering staggering returns for every dollar spent.
Sanitation and Hygiene Practices
- Basic hygiene services are used by only about 45% of households globally
- Poor sanitation is responsible for approximately 432,000 diarrheal deaths annually worldwide
- 2 billion people worldwide lack basic sanitation facilities, leading to increased health risks
- Open defecation remains a challenge in some countries, with over 626 million people practicing it, primarily in rural areas
- In urban areas, access to improved sanitation is higher, but disparities still exist among marginalized populations
- About 1 in 3 people worldwide lack access to handwashing facilities with soap and water at home
- Hygiene promotion programs can increase handwashing rates by over 50% in target communities
- Preventing water contamination through proper sanitation can significantly reduce the incidence of typhoid and cholera
- In rural areas, access to improved sanitation services remains considerably lower, often under 50%, compared to urban areas
- Access to sanitation and hygiene is integral to achieving gender equality by promoting dignity and safety
- Nearly 1 billion people lack access to basic handwashing facilities with soap and water at home, contributing to disease transmission
- The total number of people practicing open defecation decreased by 27% between 2000 and 2020 globally
- Community-led sanitation programs have been successful in increasing access to sanitation facilities by up to 70% in some regions
- Improved sanitation reduces the prevalence of parasitic infections such as hookworm, roundworm, and whipworm, higher in areas with poor sanitation
- Use of improved sanitation in urban slums remains low, often below 30%, calling for targeted interventions
- Education campaigns about proper sanitation can lead to behavioral changes that reduce fecal contamination, decreasing disease transmission
Sanitation and Hygiene Practices Interpretation
Despite progress reducing open defecation by 27% since 2000, over 2 billion people still lack basic sanitation—highlighting that in hygiene, as in so many global issues, access remains a matter of life and death, and where the soap is, the disease isn't.
Social and Economic Impacts of Sanitation
- The cost of inaction on sanitation is estimated to be 1.5% of global GDP annually due to healthcare costs and lost productivity
- Women are disproportionately affected by lack of sanitation, facing safety risks and dignity issues
- The annual global economic loss due to inadequate sanitation and water access is estimated at billions of dollars, impacting health and productivity
- Investing in community sanitation infrastructure can create jobs and stimulate local economies, especially in rural areas
- Community involvement is crucial for the success and sustainability of sanitation programs, increasing ownership and maintenance
Social and Economic Impacts of Sanitation Interpretation
Neglecting sanitation isn't just a health hazard—it's a costly oversight that drains billions from the global economy, endangers women's safety and dignity, and underscores the urgent need for community-driven investments to transform lives and livelihoods.
Water Access and Infrastructure Development
- Approximately 60% of people worldwide have access to basic sanitation services
- Nearly 2.2 billion people lack access to safely managed drinking water services
- About 68% of the global population, or around 5.4 billion people, are using a safely managed drinking water service
- Nearly 90% of the world’s population uses a basic drinking water service, but only 71% has access to safely managed sanitation services
- Globally, women and girls spend over 200 million hours collecting water each day
- About 15% of the global population lacks access to improved water sources, predominantly in rural areas
- School attendance for girls in some regions increases by up to 10% with improved sanitation facilities
- Investments in water and sanitation infrastructure tend to have high returns, with significant health and economic benefits
- The global sanitation coverage has increased from 49% in 2000 to 74% in 2020
- In some low-income countries, only about 30% of the population has access to safely managed sanitation
- The proportion of the global population using safely managed sanitation services increased from 28% in 2000 to 45% in 2020
- Access to clean water and sanitation has been shown to improve educational outcomes, particularly for girls, by reducing school absenteeism
- Approximately 80% of wastewater globally is discharged untreated into water bodies, contaminating drinking water sources
- Roadmap to universal sanitation includes increasing investment, behavioral change communication, and policy enforcement
- The commitment to universal access to sanitation necessitates multi-sectoral collaboration among health, water, and urban planning sectors
Water Access and Infrastructure Development Interpretation
While progress has been made, with global sanitation coverage rising and billions gaining access, the stark reality remains that hundreds of millions still lack safe water and sanitation, emphasizing that achieving true progress requires not just infrastructure, but a concerted global effort to turn progress into universal rights.