Sanitation and Wastewater Atlas of Africa

Regular hand washing is one way to prevent the spread of germs

Percentage of urban population using improved sanitation 2015

progress, particularly when it comes to determining whether or not on-site sanitation services are safely managed. This is clearly demonstrated by the unavailability of baseline figures for sub-Saharan Africa due to the lack of data. In North Africa, where data are available, the proportion of people with access to safely managed sanitation services stood at 25.1 per cent in 2015. This was an increase from 18.1 per cent in 2005. The 2017 Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (JMP) report indicates that 16 of the 24 countries in which at least 20 per cent of the population has limited sanitation services are in sub-Saharan Africa, where the majority of people with such access are found in urban areas (WHO and UNICEF 2017). Figure 1.14 shows which countries’ urban populations had the lowest proportions of improved sanitation by the end of 2015, and all but Haiti are in sub-Saharan Africa. Nevertheless, there are success stories in the region at the country level. Ethiopia achieved the largest decrease in the proportion of the population practising open defecation, which dropped from 92 per cent (44 million people) in 1990 to 29 per cent (28 million people) in 2015 (WHO and UNICEF 2015). Libya and Seychelles stagnated over the period and six countries experienced setbacks (Djibouti, Gambia, Nigeria, Sudan, Togo and Zimbabwe). The

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Burkina Faso Zimbabwe Comoros

Malawi Eritrea

Burundi Central African Rep. Mozambique Niger Mali Benin

Nigeria Guinea Côte d’Ivoire Tanzania Kenya Chad Uganda D. R. Congo Ethiopia Togo Sierra Leone Ghana Madagascar

GRID-Arendal/Studio Atlantis

Source: WHO and UNICEF, 2017.

Figure 1.14 . Countries whose urban populations had the lowest proportions of improved sanitation by 2015

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SANITATION AND WASTEWATER ATLAS OF AFRICA