Summary

The global proportion of the urban population with access to at least a basic household water service increased marginally from 95 per cent in 2000 to 97 per cent in 2017. For basic sanitation, there was a larger increase, from 79 per cent to 85 per cent over the same period. About 1 per cent of the urban population were still practicing open defecation in 2017 compared to 5 per cent in 2000. At higher service levels, progress was mixed: the proportion of the world’s population with access to safely managed sanitation services rose substantially (from 36 per cent to 47 per cent), but there was barely any progress for safely managed water (it fell very slightly from 86 per cent to 85 per cent). There are wide disparities in urban WASH coverage across the world.

This report gives a snapshot of urban water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) inequalities around the world, to present a clearer picture of the progress being made, global and regional disparities – and where efforts are required to achieve the ambitious goal of leaving no one behind in access to WASH services.