The widening gap between progress registered and the target (see Figure 11) signals that the world will meet its sanitation goal only with a dramatic acceleration in the provision of services. The proportion of the world’s population with improved sanitation has increased by just 9 per cent since 1990, a far slower rate than that required to meet the MDG target.
Sanitation Situation Worse Than Previously Thought
An analysis of recent household surveys – nearly twice the number available since the last update in 2001 – has prompted the Joint Monitoring Programme to revise its global sanitation figures from 2.4 billion people to 2.6 billion people unserved.
The revisions are based on this additional information, more detailed definitions of sanitation facilities and a more stringent method used to estimate coverage. In previous estimates, certain categories of latrines that were poorly defined were counted as ‘improved’. Now, a breakdown of these categories is sought from which correction factors can be derived and applied to surveys from the same country. Where this breakdown is not available, only half the share of the population using undefined latrines (such as traditional, pit or simple latrines) are counted as having access to an improved sanitation facility.
Because traditional latrines are widespread in sub-Saharan Africa, this new method of measuring them has lowered considerably the coverage figures for the region. However, as more surveys are conducted, using more complete definitions and better breakdowns of facilities, sanitation estimates will become even more precise.