A new report from the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF has highlighted major gaps in water, sanitation, hygiene, environmental cleaning and waste management services across health-care facilities worldwide.
The report, covering data from 2015 to 2025, provides the first global estimates across all five essential service areas. In 2025, around 85% of health-care facilities had basic water services, while 72% had basic hygiene services and 71% had basic health-care waste management.
However, significant challenges remain. Only 40% of facilities met the basic sanitation standard, while 59% met requirements for environmental cleaning. Although most facilities had some form of sanitation, many lacked accessible, sex-separated or menstrual hygiene facilities.
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“The findings show important progress but also expose major gaps in the foundations of safe, high-quality care,” said Bruce Gordon, Unit Head, Water, Sanitation and Health (WSH), WHO. “Reliable water, accessible sanitation, hand hygiene, effective environmental cleaning and safe waste management must be integrated into health planning, financing and monitoring.”
“A toilet is not enough if it is unsafe, inaccessible or does not meet the needs of women, girls and people with disabilities,” said Evariste Kouassi Komlan, Director of WASH, UNICEF. “Without basic WASH services, health care facilities can pose serious risks to women during childbirth, newborns and young children. Safe, inclusive and dignified WASH services are essential to delivering quality care and protecting health.”
Environmental cleaning is also a concern for infection prevention, particularly in lower-income settings. In least developed countries, just 24% of facilities met the basic environmental cleaning standard.
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WHO and UNICEF are urging countries to strengthen monitoring and investment in reliable, safe and inclusive WASH services. The organizations also emphasized the need for national plans that support sustainable sanitation, hygiene, waste management and other essential health-care infrastructure.
