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World Toilet Day - November 19, the UN day for sanitation and hygiene

World Toilet Day on November 19 is the UN International Day for the recognition of sanitation, hygiene, and access to safe toilets. Established by UNGA Resolution 67/291 in 2013, coordinated by UN-Water. Not a public holiday.

UN

International observancePublished October 14, 2026

At a glanceInternational observance
Observed in
UN
When
November
Frequency
Same date every year
Type
Days off
Varies by country
Public status
Varies by country; consult local government gazette
Last reviewed: October 14, 2026
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World Toilet Day on November 19 is the UN International Day for sanitation and hygiene awareness, recognized by UN General Assembly Resolution 67/291 since 2013 and coordinated by UN-Water. The day draws attention to the global sanitation crisis affecting 4.2 billion people without safely managed services. Not a public holiday.

The one-line summary

UN International Day every November 19 for sanitation and hygiene. Established 2013 by UNGA Resolution 67/291. Coordinated by UN-Water. Focuses on Sustainable Development Goal 6. Not a public holiday.

Origin and history

World Toilet Day was first established by the World Toilet Organization (WTO), a Singapore-based NGO, in 2001. The WTO founded the day to break the taboo around sanitation and elevate the issue in global development discourse. The WTO also hosts the annual World Toilet Summit and runs the World Toilet College for sanitation professionals.

On July 24, 2013, the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 67/291, formally designating November 19 as World Toilet Day. The resolution recognised the link between sanitation and the realization of the Millennium Development Goals (which would be superseded by the Sustainable Development Goals in 2015). The 2013 adoption gave the day official UN status and amplified its reach from a niche NGO observance to a global awareness day.

4.2Bpeople globally who live without safely managed sanitation services

How it is observed

World Toilet Day is marked by UN agencies (WHO, UNICEF, UN-Water) publishing new sanitation statistics and reports, national governments announcing sanitation infrastructure investments, NGOs running community campaigns on household toilet construction and menstrual hygiene, corporate social responsibility partnerships with toilet manufacturers, university forums on WASH engineering, and school education programmes. Notable events have included World Toilet Day campaigns at UN headquarters in New York, in Geneva, and in regional capitals.

High-profile World Toilet Day activities have included the "Mr. Toilet" documentary (about Jack Sim, founder of the WTO), the World\'s Big Looji Looser campaign, and the Reinvent the Toilet Challenge from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In India, the Swachh Bharat Mission (Clean India Mission) has used World Toilet Day to announce rural sanitation statistics since 2014.

Global sanitation crisis

According to WHO/UNICEF\'s Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (JMP), 4.2 billion people (over half the global population) live without safely managed sanitation services. 2 billion people lack basic sanitation facilities, including 494 million who practice open defecation. The crisis is most acute in sub-Saharan Africa and parts of South Asia: in Nigeria, Ethiopia, and India alone, hundreds of millions lack access to safe toilets.

Poor sanitation has cascading effects on health, education, and economic development. It contributes to the spread of diarrhoeal diseases (the second-leading cause of death in children under five), parasitic worm infections, cholera, dysentery, and trachoma. Women and girls face particular impacts: lack of safe toilets in schools reduces girls\' attendance, especially during menstruation, and contributes to gender-based violence risk. Open defecation also creates significant environmental contamination of water sources.',

Sustainable Development Goal 6

World Toilet Day advances Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6) - Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. SDG 6 has eight targets, including universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water (6.1), adequate sanitation and hygiene for all (6.2), improvement of water quality (6.3), water-use efficiency (6.4), integrated water resources management (6.5), protection of water-related ecosystems (6.6), and international cooperation and capacity building (6.A, 6.B).

Progress toward SDG 6 has been uneven. While open defecation has declined globally from 1.1 billion people in 2000 to 494 million in 2022, disparities persist: sub-Saharan Africa now accounts for the majority of open defecation, while South Asia has seen dramatic reductions driven by India\'s Swachh Bharat Mission. Climate change is creating new challenges as droughts and floods disrupt sanitation infrastructure.

World Toilet Day by the numbers

4.2Bpeople without safely managed sanitation services494Mpeople who practice open defecation globally1,000+children under five who die daily from WASH-related diseases$260Bannual global economic cost of poor sanitation (World Bank)2013year UN General Assembly recognized World Toilet Day

Sources

  • UN General Assembly Resolution 67/291 (World Toilet Day designation).
  • WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (JMP) 2023 update.
  • UN-Water official site: unwater.org
  • World Bank, WASH Poverty Diagnostics.
  • Sanitation and Hygiene Fund (SHF) annual reports.

Frequently asked questions

When is World Toilet Day 2026?

Thursday, November 19, 2026. World Toilet Day is observed every year on November 19, the date the UN General Assembly designated in Resolution 67/291 in July 2013 to draw attention to the global sanitation crisis.

Why does the UN recognize a day about toilets?

According to WHO and UNICEF, approximately 4.2 billion people live without safely managed sanitation services, and 2 billion lack basic sanitation facilities. Poor sanitation is linked to the spread of diarrheal diseases, cholera, dysentery, and parasitic infections, and contributes to the deaths of over 1,000 children under five every day. The UN designated World Toilet Day to mobilize political will for Sustainable Development Goal 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation).

Who organizes World Toilet Day?

World Toilet Day is coordinated by UN-Water, the UN's inter-agency coordination mechanism for freshwater and sanitation issues. UN-Water operates with over 30 UN entities as members and is supported by the World Health Organization and UNICEF as lead agencies for water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH).

Is World Toilet Day a public holiday?

No. World Toilet Day is an international awareness day, not a public holiday in any country. Government offices, banks, schools, and most businesses operate normally on November 19. The day is marked by awareness campaigns, sanitation infrastructure announcements, and community events organized by UN agencies, NGOs, and national governments.

What is the Sanitation and Hygiene Fund?

The Sanitation and Hygiene Fund (SHF) is a UN-hosted pooled fund launched in 2020 to catalyse financing for sanitation and hygiene in low-income countries. SHF operates under UNOPS and supports national programmes focused on household toilets, menstrual hygiene, and handwashing facilities. As of 2025 SHF had disbursed over $200 million across 25+ countries.

How does poor sanitation affect the economy?

The World Bank estimates poor sanitation costs the global economy over US$260 billion annually, primarily through lost productivity, healthcare costs, and premature death. Countries lose approximately 1-2.5% of GDP to poor water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) conditions. The economic case for investment in sanitation is typically 4-7x in returns, with the highest returns in densely populated urban areas and rural communities dependent on agriculture.

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