Impacts of Sanitation on Child Mortality and School Enrollment: A Country-Level Analysis

Sustainable access to water and sanitation for all is one of the ambitious goals of the Sustainable Development Goals declared by the United Nations in 2015. While there has been significant progress toward this goal in the past decade, billions of people across the globe still lack access to basic sanitation.

Key points

• Empirical analysis of sanitation, health, and education using country-level data suggests that sanitation improves child health, increases enrollment, and leads to higher girls’ participation in schools.
• Governments should prioritize and focus on the construction of accessible toilets in poor areas and slums, where lack of sanitation exposes many children to various health risks.
• Given that sanitation access improves school enrollment, especially among girls, building sanitation facilities require initiative from the households and school officials themselves, consistent support from local authorities, and designs that cater to girls’ needs.
• Behavioral change campaigns and financial support schemes may help address structural constraints in household sanitation uptake.

Policy Brief No: 2021-4