Nairobi: One in four people globally still lack access to safe drinking water, with significant disparities affecting vulnerable communities, according to a new report by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF. The report, titled 'Progress on Household Drinking Water and Sanitation 2000-2024: Special Focus on Inequalities', was launched today to mark Water Week 2025.
According to Kenya News Agency, the report highlights persistent inequalities in access to essential water, sanitation, and hygiene services, with billions still deprived of these basic necessities. Despite some progress over the last decade, the data reveals that people in low-income countries, fragile contexts, and rural communities, as well as children and minority ethnic and indigenous groups, continue to face the greatest challenges in accessing these services.
The report indicates that since 2015, 2.1 billion people, or one in four globally, still lack access to safely managed drinking water. This includes 106 million individuals who rely on untreated surface sources. Moreover, 3.4 billion people do not have access to safely managed sanitation, with 354 million practicing open defecation, and 1.7 billion lacking basic hygiene services at home.
The disparities are stark, with people in the least developed countries being more than twice as likely to lack basic drinking water and sanitation services compared to those in other nations. They are also more than three times as likely to lack basic hygiene. Although there have been improvements in rural areas, such as an increase in safely managed drinking water coverage from 50 percent to 60 percent between 2015 and 2024, and basic hygiene coverage from 52 percent to 71 percent, urban areas have seen stagnation in progress.
As the world approaches the last five years of the Sustainable Development Goals period, the report warns that achieving the 2030 targets for ending open defecation and ensuring universal access to basic water, sanitation, and hygiene services will require accelerated efforts. Universal coverage of safely managed services seems increasingly unattainable.
Dr. Ruediger Krech, WHO's Director of Environment, Climate Change, and Health, emphasized the need for urgent action to assist marginalized communities, stating that water, sanitation, and hygiene are basic human rights, not privileges. The report also sheds light on the challenges faced by women and adolescent girls, particularly in menstrual health, with many lacking sufficient materials to manage menstruation effectively.
Cecilia Scharp, UNICEF's Director of WASH, pointed out the risks to children's health, education, and futures due to inadequate access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene. She highlighted the additional burdens faced by girls, who often shoulder the responsibility of water collection and face barriers during menstruation.
The WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation, and Hygiene produced the report, offering new national, regional, and global estimates for water, sanitation, and hygiene services in households from 2000 to 2024. It also provides expanded data on menstrual health across 70 countries, underscoring challenges that affect women and girls at all income levels.