Only 40% of health care facilities worldwide have accessible and functional toilets that meet basic sanitation standards, while 11% have no sanitation facilities at all, according to a joint report by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF.
The findings are part of the agencies’ latest Joint Monitoring Program report tracking progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals for 2030. For the first time, the report includes estimates on access to sanitation services in health care facilities.
The 2025 estimates, based on data from 70 countries, show major gaps in access to basic sanitation. The standards include usable facilities, toilets for staff, separate toilets for men and women equipped to support menstrual hygiene management, and accessible toilets for people with limited mobility.
Wide regional disparities
The report highlights significant inequalities between regions. Only 23% of health facilities in sub-Saharan Africa have basic sanitation facilities, compared with 55% in Central and Southern Asia.
More than one in 10 facilities worldwide have no sanitation facilities at all, affecting approximately 936 million people.
The report also assesses access to water, cleaning services and waste management. By 2025, 85% of health facilities had basic water services, 72% had basic sanitation services and 71% had basic waste management services.
Despite improvements since 2015, one in 10 health facilities still lacked water services.
Cleaning standards remain a concern
Only 59% of health facilities met basic cleaning standards, according to data from 54 countries. These standards require protocols and trained cleaning staff, which are considered essential for preventing and controlling infections.
Overall, 18% of facilities, serving approximately 1.5 billion people, failed to meet any of the requirements for basic cleaning.
The situation is particularly concerning in the world’s least developed countries, where only 24% of health facilities meet basic cleaning standards.
