More than two billion people worldwide do not have access to safely managed drinking water, the United Nations warned, saying progress toward universal coverage remains far too slow to meet global targets.
According to a joint report by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), one in four people globally lacked safely managed drinking water in 2024, with more than 100 million people still relying on surface water from sources such as rivers, ponds, and canals.
The agencies said gaps in water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services continue to put billions at risk of disease. They warned that the goal of achieving universal access to safe water and sanitation by 2030 is “increasingly out of reach.”
“Water, sanitation and hygiene are not privileges; they are basic human rights,” said Ruediger Krech, WHO’s director of environment, climate change and health. “We must accelerate action, especially for the most marginalized communities.”
The report assessed five levels of drinking water services, with “safely managed” defined as water that is available on premises, accessible when needed, and free from contamination. Other levels include basic, limited, unimproved, and surface water.
Since 2015, 961 million people have gained access to safely managed drinking water, increasing global coverage from 68 percent to 74 percent. However, 2.1 billion people still lack such access, including 106 million who rely on surface water, a decline of 61 million over the past decade.
The number of countries that eliminated surface water use for drinking rose from 142 in 2015 to 154 in 2024. Currently, 89 countries have universal access to at least basic drinking water, with 31 achieving universal access to safely managed services.
Most of the 28 countries where more than a quarter of the population lacks basic drinking water services are located in Africa.
On sanitation, the report said 1.2 billion people have gained access to safely managed services since 2015, raising global coverage from 48 percent to 58 percent. The number of people practicing open defecation dropped by 429 million to 354 million in 2024.
For hygiene, 1.6 billion people have gained access to basic facilities such as handwashing stations with soap and water at home, increasing coverage from 66 percent to 80 percent since 2015.
“When children lack access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene, their health, education, and futures are put at risk,” said Cecilia Scharp, UNICEF’s director for WASH, adding that girls often face the greatest burden in collecting water and experience additional challenges during menstruation.
