Resources · Resources & Living Conditions
People without adequate sanitation
No safely managed sanitation service
3,500,000,000
Current total · Example period
What this number is
People without a safely managed sanitation service.
Counted by service level, from open defecation up to safely managed systems.
Why it matters
Sanitation drives disease transmission more than almost any other factor.
How it is produced
Household surveys and administrative data compiled by joint UN monitoring.
Plato's Cave classifies this figure as ESTIMATED. Estimated figures are built from samples and surveys, then scaled up. They carry a margin that is rarely printed alongside the headline.
How to read it carefully
This entry is still showing an example figure while research reaches it. Do not cite the number — use the sources below and the framing above.
Reference period: Example period. Last checked: Placeholder.
Plato's Cave commentary
Access to water, food, sanitation and shelter is the most basic test of whether a system works. These are also the numbers most often reported as national averages, which hides the worst-affected regions inside them.
Averages comfort. Distributions inform.