| Last update: November 2006 |
Current Status and Trends
In 2004, only 59 per cent of the world population use improved sanitation facilities (see “Monitoring” page for definitions). In other words, four out of ten people around the world have no access to improved sanitation. They are obliged to defecate in the open or use unsanitary facilities, with a serious risk of exposure to sanitation-related diseases. While worldwide sanitation coverage has increased from 49 per cent in 1990 to 59 per cent in 2004, a huge effort needs to be made to expand coverage to the MDG target level of 75 per cent in the remaining years between now and 2015.
The regions presenting the lowest coverage are West and Central Africa (36 per cent), South Asia (37 per cent) and Eastern and Southern Africa (38 per cent). The CEE and CIS (84 per cent) region has the highest sanitation coverage levels. In rural areas of the developing world, sanitation coverage is only 35 per cent. Among the least developed countries, little over one in every five rural households uses an improved sanitation facility, with an average coverage of only 22 per cent.
Global sanitation coverage increased from 49 per cent in 1990 to 59 per cent in 2004. This is insufficient progress to reach the MDG sanitation target of 75 per cenr in 2015. South Asia more than doubled its coverage from 17 per cent in 1990 to 37 per cent in 2004, yet the rate of increase in coverage is still not sufficient for the region to meet its MDG target of 58 per cent by 2015. The East Asia/Pacific region recorded the largest increases with sanitation coverage increasing from 30 per cent in 1990 to 51 per cent in 2004. This puts the region on track for reaching it MDG target of 65 per cent in 2015. The Middle East/North Africa and Latin America/Caribbean are also on track to meet the MDG sanitation target.
Over the period 1990 – 2004, an estimated 1.2 billion people gained access to sanitation. To meet the MDG sanitation target, over 1.6 billion more people will need to gain access to improved sanitation over the coming decade, with developing countries facing the biggest challenge. To achieve the MDG target, the rate of improvement over the past 15 years would have to double between now and 2015.
Disparities in coverage between urban and rural populations
Sanitation coverage in urban areas was more than twice as high as in rural areas in 2004 (80 per cent in urban areas versus 39 per cent in rural areas). Of the 2.6 billion people currently without access to basic sanitation, 2 billion (77 per cent) live in rural areas. The urban-rural disparity is largest in South Asia, where only 27 per cent of the rural population is served, compared to 63 per cent in urban areas. Only in industrialized countries is urban and rural coverage comparable.
Currently, estimates of water and sanitation coverage in urban areas include those living in urban slums. As a consequence, the statistics tend to mask the deprivation found in these communities. Calculating separate estimates for slum and other urban dwellers poses formidable technical challenges. However, efforts are under way to improve the statistical methods used so that a more accurate picture of the water and sanitation situation in slum communities can be presented.
Disparities by wealth
The urban-rural divide is not the only disparity evident in access to water and sanitation. An analysis of 20 recent Demographic and Health Surveys showed that the richest quintile is four times more likely to have access to sanitation than the poorest quintile
Additional Resources:
Regional and country specific assessments of progress towards the MDG drinking water and sanitation targets [PDF]
Detailed overview of urban and rural disparities [Excel file]
An interactive map with 2004 coverage and progress information by country [External web page]