India's sanitation leap: How a decade of change has reshaped public health

World Toilet Day: India's sanitation reforms are delivering cleaner environments and healthier communities, but sustaining these improvements becomes the next priority

The conversation around World Toilet Day often centres on dignity, but sanitation is just as much about public health. Safe toilets reduce diarrhoeal disease, support child nutrition, and protect water sources. Over the past decade, India has demonstrated how expanding sanitation coverage can shift health outcomes at a national scale. As this year’s theme for World Toilet Day highlights the need for climate-resilient, inclusive systems, India’s sanitation journey stands out as one of the more promising sanitation stories globally.

 

India’s transformative journey

 

India’s sanitation story has been nothing short of transformational. Under the flagship Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), launched in 2014, the country declared all villages open-defecation free (ODF) in October 2019. By November 2025, over 5,67,000 lakh villages had reached ‘ODF+’ status, a staggering 467 per cent growth since December 2022. In urban areas, 4,692 cities are ODF, 4,314 have achieved ODF+, and 1,973 have reached ODF++ status.

 

 

This massive shift goes beyond toilets: it’s about public health, dignity and equity.

• Government data points to an estimated 300,000 fewer diarrhoeal deaths in 2019 versus 2014 thanks to improved sanitation coverage.
• Households in ODF villages reported annual savings of nearly ₹50,000 on health-related expenses, while a notable decline in groundwater pollution level was also recorded.
• With better access to toilets, 93 per cent of women expressed feeling safer within their homes.

Complementary schemes such as AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) and the Jal Jeevan Mission have further strengthened sanitation outcomes across the country.

 

Under AMRUT, the government has supported urban water supply, sewerage and septage management, grounding 890 sewerage projects worth ₹34,447 crore and creating or augmenting 4,622 MLD (million liters per day) of sewage treatment capacity. Meanwhile, the Jal Jeevan Mission, launched in 2019, has worked to provide safe drinking water to rural households, helping communities sustain ODF and ODF+ status nationwide.

 

World Toilet Day 2025 - History and theme

 

World Toilet Day is observed each year on November 19, inspired by the work of Singaporean philanthropist Jack Sim, who founded the World Toilet Organization on November 19, 2001 to bring attention to sanitation. In 2013, the United Nations formally recognised the day to help advance access to sanitation as a human right.

 

For 2025, the theme is 'Sanitation in a changing world', emphasising the need for sanitation systems resilient to climate-shocks and demographic shifts.

 

Challenges ahead in a changing world

 

The 2025 theme “Sanitation in a changing world” is a reminder that climate change, rapid urbanisation, ageing infrastructure and low investment still threaten safe sanitation for all. This year's campaign urges countries to build sanitation systems that:

 

• Include everyone – toilets designed and accessible for all users, regardless of age, gender or ability.
• Withstand a changing climate – infrastructure that can survive floods, droughts and other climate shocks.
• Cut emissions – systems that reduce methane and other greenhouse gases from unsafe waste management.
• Are backed by strong governance and steady investment, ensuring toilets don’t just get built but stay functional year after year.