Despite notable progress over the past decade, billions of people worldwide continue to lack access to essential water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services, exposing them to preventable diseases and exacerbating social inequalities.
The latest joint report by WHO and UNICEF, titled Progress on Household Drinking Water and Sanitation 2000–2024: Special Focus on Inequalities, unveiled during World Water Week 2025, highlights the enduring disparities. These disparities, especially prevalent among vulnerable groups such as those in low-income countries, rural communities, fragile contexts, children, and minority ethnic and indigenous populations, underscore the gravity of the situation.
Key Findings from the Report
2.1 billion people still lack access to safely managed drinking water, including 106 million who rely on untreated surface water.
3.4 billion people lack safely managed sanitation, with 354 million still practising open defecation.
1.7 billion people lack basic hygiene services at home, including 611 million with no access to any facilities.
People in least developed countries are over twice as likely to lack basic WASH services, and over three times as likely to lack basic hygiene.
In fragile contexts, access to safely managed drinking water is 38 percentage points lower than in other countries.
Rural areas have seen some improvement, but still lag behind urban areas, where progress has stagnated.
Data from 70 countries show that while most women and adolescent girls have access to menstrual materials and private spaces, many lack sufficient resources to manage menstruation effectively.
Adolescent girls (15–19) are less likely than adult women to participate in school, work, or social activities during menstruation.
In most countries, women and girls are primarily responsible for water collection, with many in sub-Saharan Africa and Central/Southern Asia spending over 30 minutes per day fetching water.
With only five years left to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), achieving universal access to basic WASH services by 2030 will require urgent acceleration.
A Call to Action
“Water, sanitation and hygiene are not privileges, they are basic human rights,” said Dr Ruediger Krech, Acting Director for Environment, Climate Change and Health at WHO. “We must accelerate action, especially for the most marginalized communities, if we are to keep our promise to reach the Sustainable Development Goals.”
Cecilia Scharp, UNICEF Director of WASH, added: “When children lack access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene, their health, education, and futures are put at risk. These inequalities are especially stark for girls, who often bear the burden of water collection and face additional barriers during menstruation. At the current pace, the promise of safe water and sanitation for every child is slipping further from reach.”
About World Water Week 2025
World Water Week 2025 (24-28 August) will focus on the theme “Water for Climate Action,” emphasizing how the escalating crises of climate change, environmental degradation, and biodiversity loss are deeply intertwined with water management. The Week will explore how water is not just a resource, but also a strategic pathway for stabilizing the climate, safeguarding ecosystems, and advancing equitable outcomes for vulnerable communities.
As in previous editions, the Water Convention Secretariat organizes and contributes to several sessions, this year highlighting the key role of transboundary water cooperation in operationalizing climate action. For more information on the World Water Week 2025 edition, click here.