In 2013, the United Nations General Assembly officially designated November 19 as World Toilet Day. It was first established in 2001 by the World Toilet Organization. World Toilet Day celebrates toilets and raises awareness of the 4.2 billion people living without access to safely managed sanitation. World Toilet Day is about inspiring action to tackle the global sanitation crisis. By 2030, the Sustainable Development Goals, specifically SDG #6, aim to reach everyone with sanitation, and halve the proportion of untreated wastewater and increase recycling and safe reuse. Theme for 2025 : 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 — 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 – with glaciers melting, weather worsening, and sea levels rising. Toilets under threat Conflict, extreme weather events and disasters can destroy, damage or disrupt sanitation services. When toilet systems don’t work – or don’t exist – untreated human waste spreads in the environment, unleashing deadly diseases such as cholera. Governments must ensure that sanitation and water services are resilient, effective, accessible to everyone and shielded from harm. Together, we must ensure toilets are: Accessible to all. Resilient to floods, droughts and other climate shocks. Minimize greenhouse gas emissions. Supported by strong systems and sustained investment. Access to sanitation is a human right – 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 – our need for toilets is one of them. Let’s make toilets fit for the future — now. Facts to know 3.4 billion people still live without safely managed sanitation services — 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. Globally, to achieve safely managed sanitation for all will require, on average, a six-fold increase in the rate of progress. In low-income countries, progress needs to increase 18-fold to ensure at least basic sanitation. Key messages 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. Toilets are under pressure. Rising demand, climate change, ageing infrastructure and low investment all threaten our human right to sanitation. We need toilets fit for the future. We must urgently invest in ‘future-ready' sanitation – resilient to climate change and accessible to everyone, everywhere, always. Source : UN Related resources 2025 UN World Water Development Report