One in Four People Still Lack Access to Safe Water and Sanitation, UN Warns

• 2.1 billion people worldwide remain without safely managed drinking water, according to WHO and UNICEF.
• Progress is far off-track to meet the 2030 Agenda goals, requiring up to eightfold acceleration in low-income countries.
• Women and girls remain disproportionately affected, especially in managing menstruation with dignity.

Decades of Monitoring, Uneven Progress

The World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF this week warned that billions remain without safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene, despite steady progress since 2000.

The findings come from the Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP), the UN system’s official tracker of global water and sanitation progress since 1990. Its new report, Progress on Household Drinking-Water, Sanitation and Hygiene 2000–2024: Special Focus on Inequalities, shows that while 2.2 billion people have gained access to safe drinking water and 2.8 billion to sanitation over the past two decades, the world is still far from universal coverage.

Today, 2.1 billion people remain without safely managed drinking water, including 106 million relying on untreated surface water. Another 3.4 billion lack safely managed sanitation, and 1.7 billion live without basic hygiene services.

“Water, sanitation and hygiene are not privileges, they are basic human rights,” said Ruediger Krech, Director of WHO’s Environment, Climate Change and Health Department.

The SDG Gap Widens

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development committed all UN Member States to ensure universal access to safe water (Goal 6.1), sanitation and hygiene (6.2), and basic services (1.4). But the JMP warns the world is off track:

• Global coverage of safe drinking water has risen from 68% in 2015 to 74% in 2024. To hit the 2030 target, progress must accelerate eightfold.
• Sanitation coverage improved from 48% to 58% over the same period, but reaching universal access would require progress to triple.
• Hygiene services reached 80% of the population, but the pace must double to meet the goal.

Disparities remain stark. People in least developed countries are more than twice as likely as others to go without safe water or sanitation, and over three times as likely to lack hygiene. In fragile contexts, access levels drop even further.

Women and Girls Bear the Burden

The inequalities fall heaviest on women and girls. Many bear the daily burden of water collection, and new JMP data show menstrual health challenges across income groups.

“These inequalities are especially stark for girls who often bear the burden of water collection and face additional barriers during menstruation,” said Cecilia Scharp, UNICEF’s head of water, sanitation and hygiene services.

Urgency, and a Path Forward

At current trends, the UN warns the world will miss its 2030 water and sanitation goals.

“We must accelerate action, especially for the most marginalised communities, if we are to keep our promise to reach the Sustainable Development Goals,” said Krech.

“At the current pace, the promise of safe water and sanitation for every child is slipping further from reach – reminding us that we must act faster and more boldly to reach those who need it most,” Scharp added.

Still, the report underscores that progress is possible. Entire regions such as Australia and New Zealand have already achieved universal access to safe drinking water and sanitation, while Latin America and the Caribbean are on track for basic water services by 2030.

The challenge, WHO and UNICEF stress, is not about possibility but about speed. With proven solutions available, the task now is to scale them faster.

Related Article: World Bank Report Highlights Global Water Crisis: Over 2 Billion Lack Safe Drinking Water