Data from three national censures have been examined to show that over 20 years, access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) has dramatically improved in mainland China, thus curbing a significant global public health challenge.
Access to safe water increased significantly from 45.7% in 2000 to 91.3% in 2020, sanitary toilets rose from 18.7% to 78.5%, and hygienic bathing facilities went from 26% to 88.4%.
The three national censures – the “Provisional Regulations on the Statistical Division of Urban and Rural Areas issued in 2000, 2010, and 2020 by the National Bureau of Statistics of China – involved 33,188,549 households in 2000, 39,270,972 households in 2010, and 45,791,305 households in 2020. Information such as water usage, toilet facilities, and sanitary bathing facilities was collected in each household, in addition to key demographic characteristics like age, sex, and employment status. The country made substantial strides in enhancing WASH access, notably by improving provincial equity. Indeed, urban areas tend to outperform rural areas, and the eastern region had more excellent access rates than the central and western regions.
