Progress on Drinking Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene in Schools (2015-2025)

The report examines India's progress and challenges in achieving the water, sanitation, and hygiene goals outlined in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2030. It serves as a decadal report card on the Swachh Bharat Mission, launched on October 2, 2014.

Key Statistics and Findings

• Children Without Sanitation Services:
  • India had the highest number of children lacking sanitation services in schools, with 50 million out of the global total of 244 million in 2025.
  • Countries with similar challenges include Nigeria (34 million), Ethiopia (26 million), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (11 million), and Indonesia (8 million).
• Reduction in Schools Without Sanitation:
  • India achieved a 14% reduction in schools lacking sanitation services.
• Children Without Hygiene Services:
  • Globally, 362 million children still lacked hygiene services at schools in 2025, with 20 million from India.
• Data Gaps:
  • The WHO report highlights insufficient data for estimating trends in basic hygiene coverage in Central and Southern Asia, including India, beyond 2024.
• Progress in Drinking Water Services:
  • India is among 28 out of 62 countries on track to achieve universal basic drinking water coverage in schools by 2030.
  • In 2025, 258 million children globally lacked drinking water in schools, with 12 million from India.
  • India, along with Panama, the Syrian Arab Republic, Togo, and Tuvalu, increased coverage by over 4% per year, demonstrating rapid progress.
• Infrastructure Discrepancies:
  • While gaps in water coverage exist between school levels and regions globally, this was not the case for India, Cambodia, and Fiji.

Additional Insights

• Technology in Schools:
  • 57% of schools have functional computers, and 53% have Internet access.
• Infrastructure Progress:
  • Infrastructure in government schools is improving and catching up with private institutions by 2024.