People using safely managed drinking water services
People using safely managed drinking water services (percentage of population)
https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.H2O.SMDW.ZS
| Title | People using safely managed drinking water services |
| Unit of measure | Percentage of population |
| Source data | World Bank |
| Original data source | World Health Organization (WHO)/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene ( https://washdata.org). |
| Statistical concepts and definition | Data on drinking water, sanitation and hygiene are produced by the Joint Monitoring Programme of the WHO and United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) based on administrative sources, national censuses, and nationally representative household surveys. WHO/UNICEF defines safely managed drinking water as an improved water source that is accessible on premises, available when needed, and free from faecal and priority chemical contamination. Improved water sources include piped water, boreholes or tubewells, protected dug wells, protected springs, and packaged or delivered water. |
| Relevance | Water is considered to be the most important resource for sustaining ecosystems, which provide life-supporting services for people, animals, and plants. Global access to safe water and proper hygiene education can reduce illness and death from disease, leading to improved health, poverty reduction, and socio-economic development. However, many countries are challenged to provide these necessities to their populations, leaving people at risk for WASH-related diseases. Because contaminated water is a major cause of illness and death, water quality is a determining factor in human poverty, education, and economic opportunities. Lack of access to adequate drinking water services contributes to deaths and illness, especially in children. Water-based disease transmission by drinking contaminated water is responsible for significant outbreaks of diseases such as cholera and typhoid and includes diarrheal diseases, viral hepatitis A, cholera, dysentery, and dracunculiasis (Guinea worm disease). Improving access to clean drinking water is a crucial element in the reduction of under-five mortality and morbidity and there is evidence that ensuring higher levels of drinking water services has a greater impact. Women and children spend millions of hours each year fetching water. The chore diverts their time from other important activities (for example attending school, caring for children, participating in the economy). When water is not available on-premises and has to be collected, women and girls are almost two and a half times more likely than men and boys to be the main water carriers for their families. Many international organizations use access to safe drinking water and hygienic sanitation facilities as a measure of progress in the fight against poverty, disease, and death. Access to safe drinking water is also considered to be a human right, not a privilege, for every man, woman, and child. Economic benefits of safe drinking water services include higher economic productivity, more education, and healthcare savings. |
| Time coverage | Annual |
| Sector coverage | Infrastructure/Health |
| Data compilation | Weighted average |
| Relationship* | -1 |
* This field expresses the impact on vulnerability. The minus sign indicates that it has a vulnerability-decreasing impact (positive impact on resilience), and the plus sign indicates a vulnerability-increasing impact.