Monitoring

Drinking water services refers to the accessibility, availability and quality of the main source used by households for drinking, cooking, personal hygiene and other domestic uses

Sanitation services refer to the management of excreta from the facilities used by individuals, through emptying and transport of excreta for treatment and eventual discharge or reuse.​​​​​​

Hygiene refers to the conditions and practices that help maintain health and prevent spread of disease including handwashing, menstrual hygiene management and food hygiene.

Tracking inequalities in access to drinking water, sanitation and hygiene is essential for achieving universal access and ensuring progressive realisation of the human rights to water and sanitation.

The JMP expanded its databases to include WASH in schools and published harmonized national, regional and global baseline estimates in August 2018. The 2020 update report includes national, regional and global progress from 2015 to 2019 and a special focus on the implications for ensuring the safety of students and school staff during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2019 the JMP published harmonized baseline estimates for water, sanitation, hand hygiene, health care waste management, and environmental cleaning (WASH) services in health care facilities. The global baseline report found that one in four health care facilities (26%) lacked basic water services, while one in five (21%) had no sanitation service. A companion report published by WHO and UNICEF describes practical steps that countries are taking to ensure universal access to quality care. 

The JMP uses a standard classification and estimation method to compare progress across countries, regions and the world.