Global Progress on Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene: A Report on Sustainable Development Goal 6

Introduction

A new report from the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP), released for World Water Week 2025, assesses global progress on household drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) from 2000 to 2024. The findings indicate that despite advancements, significant gaps remain in achieving the targets of Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation). Persistent inequalities are leaving vulnerable and marginalized communities behind, jeopardizing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Status of SDG 6 Targets and Key Findings

The report highlights critical shortfalls in meeting universal access to WASH services, a cornerstone of the SDGs. The following key findings illustrate the current global status:

1. SDG Target 6.1 (Safe Drinking Water): Progress towards universal access to safely managed drinking water is insufficient. Globally, 2.1 billion people, or one in four, still lack this essential service. This includes 106 million individuals who rely on untreated surface water sources.
2. SDG Target 6.2 (Safe Sanitation): The goal of achieving adequate and equitable sanitation for all is severely off-track. 3.4 billion people lack safely managed sanitation services, and 354 million still practice open defecation, posing significant health and environmental risks.
3. SDG Target 6.2 (Hygiene): Access to basic hygiene facilities, a key component of SDG 6, remains a challenge. 1.7 billion people lack basic hygiene services at home, with 611 million having no handwashing facilities at all.
4. SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities): Disparities are stark in Least Developed Countries (LDCs), where populations are more than twice as likely to lack basic drinking water and sanitation and over three times as likely to lack basic hygiene compared to other nations.
5. Inequalities in Fragile Contexts: In fragile contexts, coverage of safely managed drinking water is 38 percentage points lower than in other countries, underscoring the challenge of achieving SDGs in unstable environments.
6. Rural-Urban Divide: While rural areas have seen improvements, they continue to lag. Between 2015 and 2024, safely managed drinking water coverage in rural areas rose from 50% to 60%, and basic hygiene from 52% to 71%. In contrast, progress in urban areas has stagnated.
7. SDG 5 (Gender Equality): Menstrual health management remains a significant barrier for women and girls. Data from 70 countries indicate that while most have access to materials, many lack sufficient supplies to manage their menstruation hygienically and with dignity.
8. Impact on Girls’ Education and Participation (SDG 4 & 5): Adolescent girls (15–19) are more likely than adult women to miss school, work, and social activities during menstruation, directly impacting their education and economic participation.
9. Gendered Burden of Water Collection: The responsibility for water collection disproportionately falls on women and girls, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and Central and Southern Asia. Many spend over 30 minutes daily on this task, limiting time for education and other opportunities, which contravenes the principles of SDG 5.
10. Feasibility of 2030 Targets: With only five years remaining in the SDG period, achieving universal access to basic WASH services and ending open defecation will require a significant acceleration of efforts. Universal coverage of safely managed services by 2030 appears increasingly unattainable at the current rate of progress.

Disparities and Impacts on Vulnerable Groups

The failure to ensure universal WASH access disproportionately affects specific populations, undermining the core SDG principle of “leaving no one behind.” The groups facing the greatest disparities include:

• Populations in Least Developed Countries
• Communities in fragile contexts
• Rural populations
• Women and adolescent girls, who face gender-specific challenges
• Children, whose health and education are compromised
• Minority ethnic and indigenous groups

Conclusion: Urgent Acceleration Required for 2030 Agenda

Access to water, sanitation, and hygiene is a fundamental human right and a prerequisite for achieving numerous Sustainable Development Goals, including those related to health (SDG 3), education (SDG 4), gender equality (SDG 5), and reduced inequalities (SDG 10). The current trajectory indicates that the 2030 targets for SDG 6 will be missed without immediate and accelerated action. A renewed global commitment is necessary to address persistent inequalities and ensure that safe and sustainable WASH services are available to all, particularly the most marginalized communities.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

1. SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
   • This is the central theme of the article. The entire text focuses on the global lack of access to “essential water, sanitation, and hygiene services.” It provides specific data on the number of people without safely managed drinking water, sanitation, and basic hygiene, which are the core components of SDG 6.
2. SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
   • The article repeatedly emphasizes the disparities in access to WASH services. It explicitly states that the report has a “special focus on inequalities” and highlights that “vulnerable communities [are] left behind.” It contrasts access levels between low-income countries and others, fragile and non-fragile contexts, and rural versus urban areas, directly addressing the goal of reducing inequality.
3. SDG 5: Gender Equality
   • The article specifically discusses the disproportionate impact on women and girls. It notes that they “are primarily responsible for water collection,” often spending significant time on this task. It also details the challenges they face regarding menstrual health, which affects their ability to participate in school and work, linking directly to gender equality and empowerment.
4. SDG 1: No Poverty
   • The article points out that “People in least developed countries are more than twice as likely as people in other countries to lack basic drinking water and sanitation services.” The “About the JMP” section explicitly states that the program is responsible for monitoring SDG target 1.4, which calls for universal access to basic services for the poor and vulnerable.
5. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
   • The article establishes a direct link between the lack of WASH services and health risks, stating that billions of people are “at risk of disease.” This connects to the goal of ensuring healthy lives, as poor sanitation and contaminated water are major causes of preventable diseases.
6. SDG 4: Quality Education
   • The article mentions that a lack of menstrual health support makes “Adolescent girls… less likely than adult women to participate in activities during menstruation, such as school.” This directly links the lack of adequate WASH facilities to educational barriers, particularly for girls, which is a key concern of SDG 4.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. Target 6.1: By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all.
   • The article directly addresses this target by stating that “1 in 4 – or 2.1 billion people globally – still lack access to safely managed drinking water.” It also highlights the lack of equitable access by pointing out disparities in fragile contexts and rural areas.
2. Target 6.2: By 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations.
   • This target is explicitly covered. The article reports that “3.4 billion people still lack safely managed sanitation, including 354 million who practice open defecation” and “1.7 billion people still lack basic hygiene services.” It also pays special attention to the needs of women and girls regarding menstrual health.
3. Target 5.4: Recognize and value unpaid care and domestic work… through the provision of… infrastructure.
   • The article supports this target by highlighting that “women and girls are primarily responsible for water collection… spending more than 30 minutes per day.” The lack of accessible water infrastructure (a core component of WASH) increases the burden of this unpaid domestic work.
4. Target 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status.
   • The article’s focus on inequalities relates to this target. It provides data showing that people in “low-income countries, fragile contexts, rural communities… and minority ethnic and indigenous groups face the greatest disparities,” illustrating a lack of social inclusion in access to basic services.
5. Target 1.4: By 2030, ensure that all men and women, in particular the poor and the vulnerable, have equal rights to… basic services.
   • The article explicitly mentions that the JMP, which produced the report, is “responsible for monitoring Sustainable Development Goal targets 1.4, 6.1 and 6.2.” The data presented on the lack of access for people in “least developed countries” and “fragile contexts” directly pertains to monitoring progress on this target.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

1. Indicator 6.1.1: Proportion of population using safely managed drinking water services.
   • The article provides a direct measure for this indicator, stating that “1 in 4 – or 2.1 billion people globally – still lack access to safely managed drinking water.” It also gives a progress update, noting that coverage in rural areas “rose from 50 per cent to 60 per cent between 2015 and 2024.”
2. Indicator 6.2.1a: Proportion of population using safely managed sanitation services and basic hygiene services.
   • The article provides statistics that directly measure this indicator: “3.4 billion people still lack safely managed sanitation” and “1.7 billion people still lack basic hygiene services.”
3. Indicator 6.2.1b: Proportion of population practicing open defecation.
   • This is explicitly measured in the article, which states that “354 million who practice open defecation.”
4. Indicator 5.4.1: Proportion of time spent on unpaid domestic and care work, by sex, age and location.
   • The article implies this indicator by reporting that “women and girls are primarily responsible for water collection, with many… spending more than 30 minutes per day collecting water.” This time is a component of unpaid domestic work.
5. Indicator 4.5.1: Parity indices (female/male, rural/urban, etc.) for education indicators.
   • The article implies a disparity that would be measured by this indicator. It notes that “Adolescent girls… are less likely than adult women to participate in activities during menstruation, such as school,” suggesting a gender-based disparity in school attendance or participation linked to inadequate WASH facilities.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: who.int