These countries have the fewest toilets per person

A third of the world’s population – 2.4 billion people – still lack access to a toilet, according to a new joint report from the World Health Organisation and UNICEF.

While 2.1 billion people have gained access to an improved sanitation facility (defined as one that hygienically separates waste from human contact) since 1990, this takes the total to only 68% of the world’s population. The Millennium Development Goal was 77% – a shortfall of 700 million people.

But the global average masks an enormous variation between countries. In South Sudan, only 6.7% of people have access to a toilet, behind Niger and Togo at 11%. At the other end of the scale, 100% have access in 18 countries including Andorra, Greenland, Israel, Palau, Saudi Arabia and Uzbkeistan.

The focus now is on the Sustainable Development Goals and targets for 2030, which will be decided by the UN General Assembly in September.

“If we are to reach universal access to sanitation by 2030, we need to ensure the poorest start making progress right away,” said Sanjay Wijesekera, head of UNICEF’s global water, sanitation and hygiene programmes.

Progress has been much stronger when it comes to clean drinking water, where 91% of the world’s population now have access – an increase of 2.6 billion people since 1990.

To keep up with the Agenda subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

Author: Paul Muggeridge is Head of Content at Formative Content.

Image: Newly built toilets in a village on the outskirts of Nagapattinam, India. REUTERS/Jagadeesh NV