The World Bank has raised concern over the worsening global sanitation crisis, warning that nearly two out of every five people in the world do not have access to safe sanitation. It said this failure threatens public health, slows economic growth, and harms the environment.
According to the Bank, Africa alone loses about \$200 billion every year due to poor sanitation. It noted that with better investment in water and sanitation services, the continent’s GDP could increase by up to 5 per cent.
This warning was contained in a new report released on Tuesday, titled “The Global Sanitation Crisis: Pathways for Urgent Action.”
Sanitation remains one of the toughest development challenges worldwide. The United Nations estimates that about 3.5 billion people still lack access to safe toilets and waste systems. This gap contributes to diseases such as cholera, diarrheas’, and typhoid, which kill hundreds of thousands of people every year, especially children under five.
In Africa, the situation is worsened by poverty, weak infrastructure, and rapid urbanization. Many informal settlements in cities do not have sewage systems, forcing residents to use unsafe alternatives that contaminate drinking water sources.
The World Health Organization has repeatedly stressed that poor sanitation not only spreads diseases but also affects education and productivity. Children miss school and adults miss work because of illnesses linked to poor sanitation.
Improved sanitation is central to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, especially Goal 6, which targets “clean water and sanitation for all” by 2030. But the World Bank noted that progress has been slow due to lack of funding, weak policies, and climate change.
The report explained that poor sanitation is particularly damaging in low and middle-income countries. Climate threats such as flooding and drought are making fragile systems even weaker, causing further losses to GDP.
It stressed that smart and resilient urban sanitation can turn the crisis around—protecting health, boosting economic growth, creating jobs, reducing pollution, and making cities stronger against disasters.
On the economic front, the report said investing in sanitation gives strong returns. In Africa, every \$1 spent could bring back \$7 in benefits. Adequate funding could boost the continent’s GDP by 5 per cent and bring annual economic gains of \$200 billion.
The Bank also linked sanitation to environmental protection. Stronger waste systems could cut up to 10 per cent of global methane emissions, reduce water pollution, and provide cleaner, safer drinking water.
Better sanitation has also been shown to improve education. In India, the presence of toilets in schools boosted enrolment, especially for adolescent girls. In Brazil, improved sanitation increased the number of years students completed in school.
The report called for urgent government action. It advised countries to prioritize sanitation funding, design inclusive and climate-resilient systems, and support innovation, training, and data collection to manage new systems effectively.
It also urged a shift to circular economy solutions—recycling waste into energy, reusable water, and other resources—thereby creating jobs and protecting ecosystems.
The World Bank concluded with a call for global collaboration, stressing that achieving climate-resilient sanitation is possible if governments, businesses, and communities act now. “Together, we can build sanitation systems that protect people, prosperity, and our planet,” it said.
