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Collage with a dry land, a toiler among mountains, and a flooded humble house
Photo:UN-Water

We¡¯ll always need the toilet

 

In a changing world, one thing is constant: we¡¯ll always need the toilet.

No matter what lies ahead, we will always rely on sanitation to protect us from diseases and keep our environment clean.

Today, billions of people still live without a safe toilet ¡ª with the poorest, especially women and girls, worst affected.

As time goes by, the pressure on sanitation is only increasing. Across the world, ageing infrastructure is failing. Investment hasn¡¯t kept pace with demand. And climate change is reshaping our world ¨C with glaciers melting, weather worsening, and sea levels rising.

 

We urgently need to invest in ¡®future-ready¡¯ sanitation today

Together, we must ensure toilets are:

  1. Accessible to all.
  2. Resilient to floods, droughts and other climate shocks.
  3. Minimize greenhouse gas emissions.
  4. Supported by strong systems and sustained investment.

Access to sanitation is a human right ¨C fundamental to a healthy, dignified, productive life.

If every person had access to a safe, resilient toilet, we could save thousands of lives every year and build the foundations for a more peaceful and prosperous world.

We need toilets for everyone, everywhere.

No matter how the world alters, some things will never change ¨C our need for toilets is one of them.

Let¡¯s make toilets fit for the future ¡ª now.

silhouette of a statue on the toilet over a blue background

Play your part

Be part of the global campaign on why ¡®We¡¯ll Always Need the Toilet¡¯. We need everyone ¨C from individuals and families to companies and governments ¨C to do what they can to make toilets fit for the future, today. to get involved this World Toilet Day.

Key messages you should know on World Toilet Day 2025

  1. We¡¯ll always need the toilet. No matter what lies ahead, we will always rely on sanitation to protect us from diseases and keep our environment clean.
  2. Toilets are under pressure. Rising demand, climate change, ageing infrastructure and low investment all threaten our human right to sanitation.
  3. We need toilets fit for the future. We must urgently invest in ¡®future-ready' sanitation ¨C resilient to climate change and accessible to everyone, everywhere, always.

Find out more on the and download campaign resources from the .

Did you know?

  • 3.4 billion people still live without safely managed sanitation services ¡ª nearly half the world¡¯s population. ()
  • 354 million people still practise open defecation, increasing the risk of disease and harm, especially for women and girls. ()
  • Unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene are responsible for the deaths of around 1,000 children under five every day. ()
  • Increased glacier melting, exacerbated by methane emissions from sanitation, contributes significantly to global sea-level rise, risking inundating coastal sanitation infrastructure and services. ()
  • At the current rates of progress, 3 billion people will still be living without safe toilets in 2030. ()
Family portrait next to the word stories leading to a page with stories about toilets and sanitation

Previous World Toilet Day themes

Explore the going back to 2014, covering a range of themes, including jobs, wastewater, nature-based solutions, and peace.

There is no single UN entity dedicated exclusively to water issues. Over 30 UN organizations carry out water and sanitation programs, reflecting the fact that water issues run through all of the UN¡¯s main focus areas. UN-Water¡¯s role is to coordinate them all so that the UN family ¡®delivers as one¡¯ in response to water-related challenges. 

The world is seriously off track to meet internationally agreed water-related goals and targets, including Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 ¡°to ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all by 2030¡±. UN-Water¡¯s Blueprint for Acceleration: SDG 6 Synthesis Report on Water and Sanitation 2023 is a concise guide to rapidly delivering concrete results.
 

an abstract illustration of people engaged in an event

International days and weeks are occasions to educate the public on issues of concern, to mobilize political will and resources to address global problems, and to celebrate and reinforce achievements of humanity. The existence of international days predates the establishment of the United Nations, but the UN has embraced them as a powerful advocacy tool. We also mark other UN observances.