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Out of Order: The State of the World's Toilets 2017

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WaterAid
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Introduction

It is easy to take a toilet for granted – lock the door, do your business, flush when finished, and forget all about it. But for 2.3 billion people worldwide – almost one in three – such a normal part of daily life is out of reach. A lack of decent toilets and clean water causes diarrhoeal diseases that, on average, claim the lives of almost 800 children every day – one every two minutes.

The health impacts of poor sanitation trap people in poverty, making it difficult to get an education or to work to support their families.

It goes without saying that everyone without this basic human right is affected, but it’s worse for some than others. For example, women and girls, people who are transgender or intersex, older people, and people with disabilities all have their own specific needs and challenges in accessing toilets.

The State of the World’s Toilets 2017 explores how the lack of decent toilets around the world prevents women and girls from fulfilling their potential. Using new data from Unicef and the World Health Organization’s Joint Monitoring Programme, we reveal the countries where women are struggling most to access a toilet, and highlight those that have made significant progress. We recommend ways to overcome the challenge of making a decent toilet normal for everyone by 2030, and to ensure these services meet the needs of women and girls everywhere.