Improved sanitation facilities and drinking-water sources 

What do these indicators tell us?

These indicators are the percentage of the population with access to improved sanitation facilities and access to an improved drinking-water source.

The two indicators - "proportion of population using safely managed sanitation services" and "proportion of population using safely managed drinking services" - are included as intermediate outcome indicators in the core set of indicators for the Global Nutrition Monitoring Framework.

How are they defined?

Improved drinking-water sources are defined as those that are likely to be protected from outside contamination, and from faecal matter in particular. Improved water sources include household connections, public standpipes, boreholes, protected dug wells, protected springs and rainwater collection. Unimproved water sources include unprotected wells, unprotected springs, surface water (e.g. river, dam or lake), vendor-provided water, bottled water (unless water for other uses is available from an improved source) and tanker truck-provided water. According to the WHO/UNICEF joint monitoring programme, basic drinking-water services are defined as drinking water from an improved source, provided that collection time is not more than 30 minutes for a roundtrip, including queuing. Basic sanitation services are defined as use of improved sanitation facilities that are not shared with other households. This is identical to the "improved but not shared" category used in previous reports.

Improved sanitation facilities are defined as those that hygienically separate human waste from human contact. Improved sanitation includes flush or pour-flush to piped sewer system, septic tank pit latrines, ventilated-improved pit latrines, or pit latrines with slab or composting toilets. Shared or public-use sanitation facilities are not considered to be improved. Also, flush or pour-flush to elsewhere, pit latrines without slabs or open pits, bucket latrines, hanging latrines or open defecation are not considered to be improved sanitation.

What are the consequences and implications?

Access to safe drinking water and improved sanitation are fundamental needs and human rights that are vital for the dignity and health of evryone. The health and economic benefits of a safe water supply to households and individuals (especially children) are well documented.

Source of data

WHO. Global Health Observatory (GHO) data repository.

Basic and safely managed drinking water services. Data by country. (http://apps.who.int/gho/data/node.main.WSHWATER?lang=en])

Basic and safely managed sanitation services. Data by country. (http://apps.who.int/gho/data/node.main.WSHSANITATION?lang=en)

Further reading

WHO, UNICEF. Global Nutrition Monitoring Framework: operational guidance for tracking progress in meeting targets for 2025. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2017 (http://www.who.int/nutrition/publications/operational-guidance-GNMF-indicators/en/).

Internet resources

WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (JMP) (https://washdata.org);

WHO. Water sanitation hygiene (http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/en/).

WHO. e-Library of Evidence for Nutrition Actions (eLENA). Water, sanitation and hygiene interventions to prevent diarrhoea. (http://www.who.int/elena/titles/wsh_diarrhoea/en/).