WHO and UNICEF: India highest worldwide for schools lacking sanitation
India
A new WHO and UNICEF report shows India has the highest number of children going to schools without sanitation, 50 million in 2025, which is about one in five worldwide.
On the bright side, there has been a 14% drop in schools without these facilities since 2015, but the numbers are still huge.
India still lacks school drinking water
India has made steady gains in getting drinking water into schools, over 4% more each year, but in 2025, 12 million children still lacked access.
In addition, around 20 million students did not have proper hygiene services at school, according to the latest available data through 2024.
India is on track for universal drinking water in schools by 2030, but big improvements are needed for sanitation and hygiene if that goal is going to be met.