Health > Access to sanitation: Countries Compared

Author: Luke.Metcalfe

This measure is defined as the proportion of the population with access to improved sanitation facilities. These facilities prevent contact with human excrement and prevent the spread of infectious diseases. Improved sanitation facilities include: piped sewer systems (flush or pour-flush), septic tanks or pit latrines; ventilated improved pit latrines; pit latrines with slabs; and composting toilets.

Access to improved sanitation facilities is vital in preventing morbidity and mortality from water borne diseases. It is estimated that 1.6 million people die from diarrheal diseases annually due to lack of basic sanitation, most of them children under 5 years old. Other diseases related to poor sanitation include schistosomiasis with 160 million infected, intestinal helminthes with 133 million infected and hepatitis A with 1.5 million new cases per year. Infection with trachoma is also related to poor hygiene, and is the leading cause of preventable blindness in the world.

Between 1990 and 2011, the percentage of people with no access to improved sanitation facilities has decreased from 85% to 75%. However, up to 40% of the world’s population still has no access to improved sanitation facilities. The lowest rates are in sub-Saharan Africa, Southern Asia and Eastern Asia, at 37%, 38% and 45%, respectively. Low income populations living in rural areas have the lowest coverage rates.

The problem of inadequate sanitation poses an economic burden to affected countries due to the medical cost of hygiene related diseases and loss of income and productivity in those affected. The investment in improving sanitation can generate up to nine times its cost in economic benefits. The improvement in life expectancy at birth by 10 years can increase a country’s economic growth by 0.3 to 0.4% annually.

Citations:

1) World Health Organization. World Health Statistics 2013. http://www.who.int/gho/publications/worldhealthstatistics/ENWHS2013Full.pdf

2) World Health Organization. Water and sanitation health: health through safe drinking water and basic sanitation. http://www.who.int/watersanitationhealth/mdg1/en/

3) World Health Organization. 10 things you need to know about sanitation. http://www.unwater.org/downloads/media/sanitation/10Things.pdf

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DEFINITION: The percentage of the total population with access to sanitation facilities.

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Totals

#	COUNTRY	AMOUNT	DATE
=1	CanadaCanada	100%	2003
=1	NetherlandsNetherlands	100%	2003
=1	TurkeyTurkey	100%	2003
=1	SlovakiaSlovakia	100%	2003
=1	FinlandFinland	100%	2003
=1	BarbadosBarbados	100%	2003
=1	AustraliaAustralia	100%	2003
=1	MoroccoMorocco	100%	2003
=1	MaldivesMaldives	100%	2003
=1	MexicoMexico	100%	2003
=1	United KingdomUnited Kingdom	100%	2003
=1	LithuaniaLithuania	100%	2003
=1	Saint LuciaSaint Lucia	100%	2003
=1	CyprusCyprus	100%	2003
=1	ArmeniaArmenia	100%	2003
=1	United StatesUnited States	100%	2003
=1	SwedenSweden	100%	2003
=1	AustriaAustria	100%	2003
=1	SwitzerlandSwitzerland	100%	2003
=1	MaltaMalta	100%	2003
=1	SingaporeSingapore	100%	2003
=22	DominicaDominica	99%	2003
=22	ThailandThailand	99%	2003
=22	GeorgiaGeorgia	99%	2003
=22	FijiFiji	99%	2003
=22	HungaryHungary	99%	2003
=22	Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia	99%	2003
=22	CubaCuba	99%	2003
=22	IranIran	99%	2003
=22	KazakhstanKazakhstan	99%	2003
=31	Papua New GuineaPapua NG	98%	2003
=31	The BahamasThe Bahamas	98%	2003
=31	GabonGabon	98%	2003
=34	PanamaPanama	97%	2003
=34	TunisiaTunisia	97%	2003
=36	JamaicaJamaica	96%	2003
=36	RomaniaRomania	96%	2003
=36	ChileChile	96%	2003
=36	CroatiaCroatia	96%	2003
40	Trinidad and TobagoTrinidad+	95%	2003
=41	EcuadorEcuador	94%	2003
=41	PeruPeru	94%	2003
=41	UruguayUruguay	94%	2003
=44	Costa RicaCosta Rica	93%	2003
=44	UkraineUkraine	93%	2003
=46	El SalvadorEl Salvador	92%	2003
=46	SurinameSuriname	92%	2003
=46	BulgariaBulgaria	92%	2003
=49	The GambiaThe Gambia	91%	2003
=49	GrenadaGrenada	91%	2003
=51	Dominican RepublicDominican Rep.	90%	2003
=51	RwandaRwanda	90%	2003
=51	South AfricaSouth Africa	90%	2003
=54	VenezuelaVenezuela	89%	2003
=54	Sri LankaSri Lanka	89%	2003
56	EthiopiaEthiopia	88%	2003
=57	JordanJordan	87%	2003
=57	PakistanPakistan	87%	2003
=57	VietnamVietnam	87%	2003
=60	MauritiusMauritius	86%	2003
=60	AlbaniaAlbania	86%	2003
62	GuatemalaGuatemala	85%	2003
63	AzerbaijanAzerbaijan	84%	2003
=64	Bosnia and HerzegovinaBosnia and Herzegovina	83%	2003
=64	LebanonLebanon	83%	2003
=64	ChinaChina	83%	2003
	Former Soviet republics averageFormer Soviet republics average (profile)	82.67%	2003
=67	CambodiaCambodia	82%	2003
=67	Cape VerdeCape Verde	82%	2003
=69	TurkmenistanTurkmenistan	81%	2003
=69	MongoliaMongolia	81%	2003
	Former Spanish colonies averageFormer Spanish colonies average (profile)	79.35%	2003
=71	ZimbabweZimbabwe	79%	2003
=71	Democratic Republic of the CongoCongo, DR.	79%	2003
73	Cote d'IvoireCote d'Ivoire	78%	2003
74	RussiaRussia	76%	2003
75	TajikistanTajikistan	75%	2003
76	BelarusBelarus	74%	2003
	South and Central Asia averageSouth and Central Asia average (profile)	72.67%	2003
77	IndiaIndia	72%	2003
=78	UzbekistanUzbekistan	71%	2003
=78	Saint Vincent and the GrenadinesSt Vincent+	71%	2003
=80	IndonesiaIndonesia	70%	2003
=80	MauritaniaMauritania	70%	2003
=80	ComorosComoros	70%	2003
83	MozambiqueMozambique	69%	2003
=84	BelizeBelize	68%	2003
=84	NamibiaNamibia	68%	2003
86	GuyanaGuyana	67%	2003
=87	Burkina FasoBurkina Faso	66%	2003
=87	Solomon IslandsSolomon Islands	66%	2003
89	GhanaGhana	64%	2003
	South Asia averageSouth Asia average (profile)	63.75%	2003
90	South KoreaSouth Korea	63%	2003
=91	CameroonCameroon	62%	2003
=91	NepalNepal	62%	2003
=91	BhutanBhutan	62%	2003
94	EritreaEritrea	58%	2003
=95	ParaguayParaguay	56%	2003
=95	AngolaAngola	56%	2003
	Former French colonies averageFormer French colonies average (profile)	55.92%	2003
97	SyriaSyria	55%	2003
98	HaitiHaiti	54%	2003
=99	BoliviaBolivia	53%	2003
=99	Equatorial GuineaEqu. Guinea	53%	2003
101	BeninBenin	52%	2003
102	BrazilBrazil	50%	2003
103	LaosLaos	49%	2003
104	LesothoLesotho	48%	2003
105	AlgeriaAlgeria	47%	2003
106	MalawiMalawi	44%	2003
=107	Central African RepublicCentral Africa	43%	2003
=107	OmanOman	43%	2003
109	UgandaUganda	42%	2003
110	KyrgyzstanKyrgyzstan	40%	2003
111	KenyaKenya	38%	2003
112	MadagascarMadagascar	37%	2003
=113	BangladeshBangladesh	34%	2003
=113	NicaraguaNicaragua	34%	2003
115	NigeriaNigeria	33%	2003
=116	SwazilandSwaziland	30%	2003
=116	HondurasHonduras	30%	2003
=118	BurundiBurundi	29%	2003
=118	ZambiaZambia	29%	2003
=120	BotswanaBotswana	28%	2003
=120	YemenYemen	28%	2003
=120	TogoTogo	28%	2003
123	Guinea-BissauGuinea-Bissau	25%	2003
124	GuineaGuinea	23%	2003
125	ChadChad	21%	2003
126	MaliMali	20%	2003
127	VanuatuVanuatu	17%	2003
128	DjiboutiDjibouti	13%	2003
129	SenegalSenegal	8%	2003

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