50 MILLION INDIAN CHILDREN LACK SANITATION SERVICES AT SCHOOL, WHO-UNICEF REPORT FINDS

September 28, 2026

Nearly 50 million children in India did not have access to sanitation services at their schools in 2025, according to the latest WHO-UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme report on drinking water, sanitation and hygiene in schools. India accounted for almost one-fifth of the estimated 244 million children worldwide facing the same gap, the highest number recorded for any country.

The report, covering progress between 2015 and 2025, also noted that India reduced the number of schools without sanitation services by 14 per cent during the period. The findings indicate that despite improvements, substantial gaps remain in providing basic sanitation facilities to schoolchildren.

Globally, the WHO-UNICEF assessment said the world remains off track to achieve universal access to basic water, sanitation and hygiene services in schools by 2030. At the current pace, a significant proportion of schools could still lack basic facilities at the end of the Sustainable Development Goal period.

The agencies have called for a substantial acceleration in progress to ensure that children have access to safe and adequate water, sanitation and hygiene facilities in educational institutions.