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Key Global Water and Sanitation Facts and Figures
The Bad News…
| 1.1 billion people, about 20% of the world’s population, remain without access to safe drinking water | |
| 2.4 billion people, about 40% of the world’s population, have no access to sanitation facilities | |
| Each year, more than 2.2 million people, mostly children under five, die from problems associated with the lack of water and sanitation. | |
| More than 6,000 children die every day from diseases associated with lack of access to safe drinking water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene. | |
| In developing countries, about 80% of illnesses are linked to poor water and sanitation conditions | |
| At any one time, half of the world’s hospital beds are occupied by patients suffering from water-borne diseases | |
| One litre of water weighs one kilogram. In developing countries, it is common for water collectors, usually women and girls, to have walk several kilometres every day to fetch water. Filled pots and jerry cans weigh as much as 20 kilograms | |
| A person living in Sub-Saharan Africa uses 10-20 litres a day; on average, a Canadian uses 326 litres a day |
The Good News…
| Water and sanitation interventions are one of the most cost-effective ways of improving the health status of people in developing countries | |
| The health benefits of clean drinking water are best realized when coupled with sanitation and hygiene promotion activities | |
| By 2015, the international community hopes to reduce by half the proportion of people who are unable to reach, or afford, safe drinking water |
Click here for a printable handout of these facts and figures