Five crore Indian children still lack access to sanitation service in their schools, says UN report
A UN report reveals that 50 million Indian schoolchildren lack access to basic sanitation, representing the highest number globally. While India has made progress in drinking water access, significant data gaps remain regarding hygiene coverage.
Why it matters
The data highlights the ongoing challenges in meeting Sustainable Development Goals and the effectiveness of national initiatives like the Swachh Bharat Mission.
India had the highest number of children with no sanitation service in schools, with 50 million out of the world total of 244 million as of 2025, according to a new global report. Only Nigeria (34 million), Ethiopia (26 million), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (11 million) or Indonesia (8 million) had a comparatively large number of schoolchildren who had no access to sanitation service.
The data from ‘Progress on drinking water, sanitation and hygiene in schools 2015-2025’ shows the progress as well as the challenges India is facing in meeting the water, sanitation and hygiene goals that are part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) set for 2030.
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