“In a world reshaped by increasing climate pressures, urban growth and inequality, safe sanitation remains a cornerstone of public health and human dignity,” says United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in a statement marking World Toilet Day on 19 November.
Established by the World Toilet Organization in 2001, the day became an official United Nations observance in 2013.
Every year, UN-Water, the United Nations coordination mechanism for water and sanitation, sets the theme for this day. In 2025, the theme is ‘Sanitation in a changing world’, which, according to the UN, reminds us “that no matter what the future holds, we will always need the bathroom.”
“The humble toilet is an icon of progress: it prevents disease, protects the environment and preserves dignity and opportunity. Without safe sanitation, sustainable development fails. Contaminated water can spread diarrheal diseases, which kill more than 1,000 children a day,” says Guterres.
It is important to note, however, that more than 1.5 billion people still do not have basic sanitation services, such as private bathrooms or latrines, according to the World Health Organization. Of these, 419 million still defecate in the open, for example in street gutters, behind bushes or in open bodies of water.
“Untreated human waste pollutes ecosystems and fuels greenhouse gas emissions,” says the UN chief. “And for millions of women and girls, the lack of a safe bathroom means missing out on work and school.”
According to the WHO, poor sanitation reduces human well-being and social and economic development due to impacts such as anxiety, risk of sexual assault, and loss of education and work opportunities.
It is linked to the transmission of diarrheal diseases such as cholera and dysentery, as well as typhoid fever, intestinal worm infections, and polio; Furthermore, it aggravates growth retardation and contributes to the spread of antimicrobial resistance.
Even where there are toilets around the world, some hardly deserve the name. In a Syrian refugee camp in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, for example, bathrooms surrounded by graffiti-covered corrugated sheets sit right next to flimsy tents. In the Marcory district of Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, a “private” post is simply built from leftover pieces of wood and metal.
Header image: An open toilet is seen in a field in Gorba, in the eastern Indian state of Chhattisgarh. – Reuters
