Table 5,,,,,,,,
"Access to Water Supply and Sanitation by Region, 1990 and 2002",,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,
Description,,,,,,,,
"Table 5 shows the total population and the population without access to improved water supply or sanitation services (“unserved”) in urban and rural areas for 1990 and 2002. The regions shown correspond with those of the MDGs and are not comparable to those in previous editions of The World’s Water. Overall, global water supply coverage for the year 2002 is estimated to be 83 percent, and global sanitation coverage is estimated to be 58 percent. Since 1990, the fraction of the population with access to an improved water supply increased from 77 percent to 83 percent in 2002, and the unserved population declined by over 150 million. During this same period, the fraction of the population with access to improved sanitation systems increased from 49 percent to 58 percent, and the unserved population declined by 70 million. These estimates are based on data from 93 and 97 percent of the global population in 1990 and 2002, respectively.",,,,,,,,
"These data form the basis for all major international policy statements on lack of access to water. Because 1990 was used as the base year for establishing the 2015 MDGs, the 2002 data represents the halfway point and shows progress toward achieving these goals. The data indicate that significant work remains, particularly in the sanitation sector. And although some regions are on target, greater effort must be placed on improving water supply and sanitation coverage in sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Asia. The World Health Organization and UNICEF intend to report coverage data more frequently to allow better tracking of progress toward the MDGs. Go to the original source (later section) for a list of which countries belong to which regions shown here.",,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,
Limitations,,,,,,,,
"These data give a good picture of the current lack of access to improved water and sanitation services, but comparison from different assessments should be done with extreme care, or not at all, because of changing definitions.",,,,,,,,
"Country-reported data may reflect national definitions of “improved,” unlike survey data, which were standardized as much as possible. For example, in many African countries the population “without access” to improved sanitation means people with no access to any sanitary facility. In Latin America and the Caribbean, however, it is more likely that those “without access” have a sanitary facility, but the facility is deemed unsatisfactory by local or national authorities. Low coverage figures for Latin America and the Caribbean, in part, may be a reflection of the comparatively narrow definitions used within that region.",,,,,,,,
"Changes in the source of data also complicate comparisons over time. Before 2000, for example, data collected by WHO were provider-based and collected from service providers, such as utilities, ministries, and water agencies. The data shown here, however, is user-based and was collected from household surveys and censuses. User-based data is more likely to include improvements installed by households or local communities and gives a more complete picture of water supply and sanitation coverage.",,,,,,,,

,1990 Population (millions),,,,2002 Population (millions),,,
,,,,,,,,
Region,Total Population, Population Served,Population Unserved,Percent Served,Total Population, Population Served,Population Unserved,Percent Served
,,,,,,,,
GLOBAL,,,,,,,,
Urban water supply,"2,263","2,150",113,95%,"2,988","2,839",149,95%
Rural water supply,"3,000","1,890","1,110",63%,"3,237","2,331",906,72%
Total water supply,"5,263","4,053","1,211",77%,"6,225","5,167","1,058",83%
,,,,,,,,
Urban sanitation,"2,263","1,788",475,79%,"2,988","2,420",568,81%
Rural sanitation,"3,000",750,"2,250",25%,"3,237","1,198","2,039",37%
Total sanitation,"5,263","2,579","2,684",49%,"6,225","3,610","2,614",58%
,,,,,,,,
DEVELOPED REGIONS,,,,,,,,
Urban water supply,672,672,0,100%,745,745,0,100%
Rural water supply,262,259,3,99%,248,233,15,94%
Total water supply,934,934,0,100%,993,973,20,98%
,,,,,,,,
Urban sanitation,672,672,0,100%,745,745,0,100%
Rural sanitation,262,259,3,99%,248,228,20,92%
Total sanitation,934,934,0,100%,993,973,20,98%
,,,,,,,,
EURASIA,,,,,,,,
Urban water supply,183,178,5,97%,180,178,2,99%
Rural water supply,99,82,17,83%,101,83,18,82%
Total water supply,282,259,23,92%,281,261,20,93%
,,,,,,,,
Urban sanitation,183,170,13,93%,180,165,14,92%
Rural sanitation,99,67,32,68%,101,66,35,65%
Total sanitation,282,237,45,84%,281,233,48,83%
,,,,,,,,
NORTHERN AFRICA,,,,,,,,
Urban water supply,58,55,3,95%,77,74,3,96%
Rural water supply,60,49,11,82%,71,59,11,84%
Total water supply,118,104,14,88%,147,133,15,90%
,,,,,,,,
Urban sanitation,58,49,9,84%,77,68,8,89%
Rural sanitation,60,28,32,47%,71,40,30,57%
Total sanitation,118,77,41,65%,147,108,40,73%
,,,,,,,,
SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA,,,,,,,,
Urban water supply,141,116,25,82%,240,197,43,82%
Rural water supply,363,131,232,36%,445,200,245,45%
Total water supply,504,247,257,49%,685,397,288,58%
,,,,,,,,
Urban sanitation,141,76,65,54%,240,132,108,55%
Rural sanitation,363,87,276,24%,445,116,329,26%
Total sanitation,504,161,343,32%,685,247,438,36%
,,,,,,,,
LATIN AMERICA ,,,,,,,,
& THE CARIBBEAN,,,,,,,,
Urban water supply,313,292,22,93%,407,387,20,95%
Rural water supply,128,74,54,58%,129,89,40,69%
Total water supply,442,366,75,83%,536,477,59,89%
,,,,,,,,
Urban sanitation,313,257,56,82%,407,342,65,84%
Rural sanitation,128,45,83,35%,129,57,72,44%
Total sanitation,442,305,137,69%,536,402,134,75%
,,,,,,,,
EASTERN ASIA,,,,,,,,
Urban water supply,368,364,4,99%,550,511,38,93%
Rural water supply,858,515,343,60%,825,561,264,68%
Total water supply,"1,226",883,343,72%,"1,375","1,072",302,78%
,,,,,,,,
Urban sanitation,368,235,132,64%,550,379,170,69%
Rural sanitation,858,60,798,7%,825,247,577,30%
Total sanitation,"1,226",294,932,24%,"1,375",619,756,45%
,,,,,,,,
SOUTH ASIA,,,,,,,,
Urban water supply,317,285,32,90%,444,417,27,94%
Rural water supply,857,549,309,64%,"1,036",829,207,80%
Total water supply,"1,175",834,341,71%,"1,480","1,243",237,84%
,,,,,,,,
Urban sanitation,317,171,146,54%,444,293,151,66%
Rural sanitation,857,60,797,7%,"1,036",249,788,24%
Total sanitation,"1,175",235,940,20%,"1,480",548,933,37%
,,,,,,,,
SOUTH-EASTERN ASIA,,,,,,,,
Urban water supply,141,128,13,91%,220,200,20,91%
Rural water supply,299,194,105,65%,316,221,95,70%
Total water supply,440,321,119,73%,536,423,112,79%
,,,,,,,,
Urban sanitation,141,94,46,67%,220,173,46,79%
Rural sanitation,299,117,182,39%,316,155,161,49%
Total sanitation,440,211,229,48%,536,327,209,61%
,,,,,,,,
WESTERN ASIA,,,,,,,,
Urban water supply,85,80,5,94%,121,115,6,95%
Rural water supply,52,34,18,65%,63,46,16,74%
Total water supply,136,113,23,83%,184,162,22,88%
,,,,,,,,
Urban sanitation,85,81,3,96%,121,115,6,95%
Rural sanitation,52,27,25,52%,63,31,32,49%
Total sanitation,136,108,29,79%,184,145,39,79%
,,,,,,,,
OCEANIA,,,,,,,,
Urban water supply,1,1,0,92%,2,2,0,91%
Rural water supply,5,2,3,39%,6,3,4,40%
Total water supply,6,3,3,51%,8,4,4,52%
,,,,,,,,
Urban sanitation,1,1,0,83%,2,2,0,84%
Rural sanitation,5,2,2,50%,6,3,3,46%
Total sanitation,6,4,3,58%,8,5,4,55%

"Due to rounding, coverage figures might not total 100%, even if the population unserved is shown as 0.",,,,,,,,
Definitions have changed over time.  See the description of this table.,,,,,,,,

Source,,,,,,,,
World Health Organization/UNICEF. 2004. Meeting the MDG drinking water and sanitation target: A mid-term assessment of progress. http://wssinfo.org/pdf/JMP_04_tables.pdf.,,,,,,,,

© 2007 Pacific Institute. May be reprinted with permission.,,,,,,,,