Burden of disease associated with unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene practices
WHO is the Custodian Agency for reporting the mortality from unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene (Indicator 3.9.2). In this role, WHO has developed methods and tools to estimate health gains based on the latest available evidence linking water, sanitation and hygiene with mortality and morbidity from diarrhoeal disease as well as other health outcomes.
Unsafe WASH is linked to many adverse health outcomes. It is associated with infectious diseases, health risks from exposure to chemicals and other contaminants in drinking-water, as well as impacts on well-being. However, quantification of the related burden of disease is not always possible due to limited epidemiological evidence. SDG indicator 3.9.2 captures the burden of disease linked to unsafe WASH for diarrhoea, acute respiratory infections, soil-transmitted helminth infections and undernutrition.
Read the WHO report on the latest (2019) data. Previous rounds of estimates can be found below under ‘Relevant Publications’. As there have been changes in methods for diarrhoea, they have limited comparability.
Access data on The Global Health Observatory.
Access the WASH-related disease burden estimation tool.
Relevant publications
All →See also
2019 update
2016 update
2012 update