A new United Nations (UN) report warns that weak national systems for water, sanitation, and hygiene are slowing progress toward safe drinking water and sanitation for everyone, according to organisations. With less than five years left to reach global water and sanitation targets under Sustainable Development Goal 6, experts say governments must ramp up investments, coordination, and regulation to close widening gaps made worse by climate change and disease outbreaks.
The State of Systems for Drinking-Water, Sanitation and Hygiene: Global Update 2025, produced through the UN-Water Global Analysis and Assessment of Sanitation and Drinking-Water (GLAAS), collected data from 105 countries and 21 international partners. It found that while many governments have policy frameworks and national goals in place, most lack the capacity and resources to implement them effectively. Only 13 percent of countries have enough financial and human resources to meet their WASH targets, and nearly two-thirds report overlapping government roles that hinder coordination. Just half set national goals for hand hygiene.
“Millions still die every year because they don’t have clean water, toilets, or basic hygiene,” said Dr. Ruediger Krech, Director for Environment, Climate Change, One Health & Migration at WHO. “Fixing this demands stronger WASH systems — the people, plans, and rules that keep water and sanitation services safe and sustainable.”
Globally, 2.1 billion people still lack safe drinking water, 3.4 billion live without proper sanitation, and 1.7 billion have no access to even basic hygiene services.
Financing and accountability remain major hurdles. A review of 20 countries found a 46 percent gap between available funding and what’s needed to meet national targets, while inefficiencies — such as water lost to leaks or theft — average nearly 40 percent. Fewer than half of countries publicly report on water quality, and only one in five conducts adequate safety surveillance.
Some progress is evident, particularly on climate resilience: 80 percent of countries now include climate risk in their WASH policies. But only one in five has funding specifically to support populations most affected by climate change.
“Accelerating progress depends on stronger systems — more predictable financing, better data, and inclusive governance,” said Cecilia Scharp, Director of UNICEF’s Global WASH Practice.
The stakes are clear. Unsafe water and sanitation-related diseases claimed 1.4 million lives in 2019, and cholera sickened more than half a million people across 60 countries in 2024. UN-Water Chair Dr. Alvaro Lario said the next few years will determine whether the world meets its goals.
“The choices we make now will decide if we can secure clean water, sanitation, and a healthy future for all,” he said.
