WHO global water, sanitation and hygiene: annual report 2024

Overview

The WHO Results Report 2024–2025 indicates that global access to safely managed drinking-water services rose from 71.0% in 2018 to a projected 87.3% by 2025; safely managed sanitation from 53% to 80%; and basic hygiene services from 74.5% to a projected 88.8%. These gains have driven notable reductions in diarrheal disease, underscoring the foundational role of WASH in health improvement and WHO’s corporate accountability, reinforcing WASH as a core driver of results across universal health coverage, health emergencies and healthier populations.

These achievements result from country-level leadership driving domestic investment, supported by WHO’s technical guidance and resources.

WHO’s work focused on its priority intervention areas, including normative guidance, monitoring, regulation, climate-resilient WASH, WASH in health care facilities, emergency response and financial tracking, delivered in collaboration with multiple partners