The document provides an overview of sanitation and hygiene in East Asia and the Pacific region. It finds that while the proportion of people using improved sanitation has increased significantly over the last 20 years, challenges remain. Six countries in the region are not on track to meet MDG sanitation targets, and 671 million people still lack access to improved sanitation. Progress has also stalled in the Pacific sub-region, where coverage has not changed in 20 years. Significant inequities also persist both between and within countries.

1. A SNAPSHOT – 2012 UPDATE
SANITATION AND HYGIENE
IN EAST ASIA AND THE PACIFIC

2. Overview
The East Asia and Pacific Region has made gains over the last 20 years:
 The proportion of people using improved sanitation increased by 35 percentage points
between 1990 and 2010 (more than double the rate of the world as a whole)
 East Asia and the Pacific is the only UNICEF region* already to have met the MDG sanitation
target
 The proportion of people who Regional and World Sanitation Coverage Trends
practice open defecation has
dropped to just 5 percent in 13
5 Open
the region 15 Defecation
12 25
 823 million more people use Unimproved
improved sanitation than Facilities
11
20 years ago, the majority of
16 Shared
them in China 20 Facilities
48 11
However, significant challenges 6
remain:
Coverage (%)
Coverage (%)
 Six countries in the region are
7 Improved
not on track to meet the MDG Facilities
sanitation target 67
63
 671 million people are still 49
without access to improved
sanitation in the region, more 32
than in sub-Saharan Africa
 Progress in the Pacific sub-
region has stalled: the 1990 2010 1990 2010
proportion of people using
East Asia World Total
improved sanitation has not and the Pacific
Open defecation Open defecation
changed in 20 years (51%)
Unimproved Unimproved
 Coverage disparities are pronounced, with national improved sanitation rates ranging from
Shared Shared
less than one-third of the population (Cambodia) to more than 95 per cent in 7 countries
Improved
 Coverage is also highly inequitable within countries: richerImproved
households and urban dwellers
are much more likely to use improved sanitation than poorer and rural households
 New data indicates that handwashing-with-soap rates are lower in rural areas and much
lower in poor households in some countries
 Institutional monitoring data indicates that many primary schools still lack adequate
sanitation facilities for school children
Information about this Snapshot
 This snapshot is produced by the UNICEF Regional Office for East Asia and the Pacific
 Unless otherwise indicated, data in this snapshot is from the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring
Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation 2010 dataset, the latest available (see page 8 for
full citations and credits)
 The UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Region encompasses 27 countries; 12 in East Asia and 15 in
the Pacific (*UNICEF regions differ slightly from JMP and MDG regions: see last page for listing)
A Snapshot of Sanitation and Hygiene in East Asia and the Pacific – 2012 Update 1

3. Progress and Challenges
Of the 823 million new sanitation users, Seven countries in the region are not on
most live in China track to meet the MDG sanitation target
Sanitation Gap in Off-Track* Countries
Papua New Guinea 23
Indonesia, 71
Mongolia 16
Viet Nam, 42 Nauru 15
China, 593
Cambodia 14
Philippines, 34
Rest of region, Timor-Leste 11
83
Millions of people Indonesia 5
gaining access,
1990 to 2010
Samoa 1
Number of people who gained access to improved Gap between the required coverage in 2010 if country
sanitation from 1990 to 2010, millions were on-track and actual 2010 coverage (%). * Includes
countries in the ‘progress but insufficient JMP category.
Sanitation coverage varies significantly from country to country
100
100 100 100
98
96 96 96
93
85
80 83
80
76 76 75
Region 74
67
64 65
60 63 63
Coverage (%)
57
54
51
47
40
45
31
20
East Asia Pacific
0
Improved sanitation coverage in East Asia and Pacific countries, 2010, national, per cent, with Region and World
comparators (no data available for Kiribati, Micronesia and the Solomon Islands)
A Snapshot of Sanitation and Hygiene in East Asia and the Pacific – 2012 Update 2

4. Sanitation Inequities
Urban-rural coverage gaps are shrinking Despite progress there continues to be
in East Asia and the Pacific substantial disparity in some countries
6 2
8
Open
Defecation
 The rural-urban sanitation gap in the
1 16
East Asia and Pacific Region has shrunk
24 20 21 Unimproved from 36 percentage points in 1990 (57%
urban, 21% rural) to 19 points in 2010
13
(77% urban, 58% rural), far smaller than
Shared the global gap of 32 points
59
13
 China, Philippines, Thailand, Palau and
Fiji have made the best progress
Coverage (%)
reducing the urban-rural sanitation gap;
77 Improved while limited or no progress has been
Facilities made in Cambodia, Indonesia and
57 4 58
several Pacific countries
 In 2010 the degree of disparity varies
21 greatly from country to country (see
graph below)
1990 2010 1990 2010
Urban Rural
Open defecation Open defecation
Unimproved Unimproved
The degree of urban-rural disparity varies significantly
Shared Shared
Improved Improved
96
96 96
89 94
95 96
86
83
80 79
74 76 76 76
73 73 73 74 73
71
69 68
66
64 63 64
57
54
56 51
50 47
39
37
Urban %
31
29
20 National %
Rural %
Use of improved sanitation facilities: urban-rural range in East Asia and the Pacific Countries, 2010
(in Thailand, urban coverage at 95% is slightly lower than rural coverage at 96%)
A Snapshot of Sanitation and Hygiene in East Asia and the Pacific – 2012 Update 3

5. 100
Economic inequities are pronounced in 100
East Asia and the Pacific
80 98
80
60 The poorest households have much lower access to
60
improved sanitation facilities than richer households in 65
40
many countries in the region (such as in Lao PDR where 40
20 coverage is only 7% in the poorest quintile but 98% in the 36
20
richest) 21
0
 Open defecation levels are generally much higher for 0
7
Poorest 2nd 3rd 4th Richest Poorest 2nd 3rd 4th Richest
poorer households, such as in Indonesia and Lao PDR
Lao PDR MICS 2006
Improved Unimproved Open Defecation
100 100 100
98 100 100
95 96
80 85 80 80
76
60 66 60 60
64
56 57
40 40 40 45
42
31
20 20 20
11
0 0 0
Poorest 2nd 3rd 4th Richest Poorest 2nd 3rd 4th Richest Poorest 2nd 3rd 4th Richest
Viet Nam MICS 2011 Indonesia DHS 2007 Mongolia MICS 2010
Use of improved sanitation facilities, unimproved facilities, and open defecation by wealth quintiles, with improved figures
highlighted (%). Data sources as shown. The shared facilities category is not included for multi-study comparison. In the
Mongolia chart, unimproved includes both open defecation and other unimproved. Wealth quintiles are based on the asset
indices used by the household surveys, divided into five categories.
Regional and country averages mask large disparities within countries
 This ‘equity tree’ example from the Philippines shows that the poorest households in rural
areas have much lower coverage levels than many national, regional and global averages
100 Richest 20% 100 Richest 20%
98 Samoa Urban Rural
96 Malaysia
93 Tokelu
85 CEE/CIS
79 Urban
75 Poorest 20%
74 Philippines Urban
69 Rural
67 East Asia
& the Pacific
64 China
63 World
57 Vanuatu
51 Mongolia
47 Timor-Leste
45 Papua New Guinea
39 Poorest 20%
38 South Asia Rural
30 Sub S Africa 31 Cambodia
Use of Improved sanitation in the Philippines, per cent. Sources: JMP 2012 and Philippines DHS, 2008;
CEE/CIS is Central, Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States
A Snapshot of Sanitation and Hygiene in East Asia and the Pacific – 2012 Update 4

6. Focus on the Pacific Sub-Region
Progress has stalled in the Pacific Sub-Region* overall
 In 1990 the Pacific sub-region had much higher national sanitation coverage levels than the
East Asia sub-region and many other parts of the world
 By 2010 the Pacific had been passed by East Asia and by other regions of the world for
national and rural coverage
 All regions have made much better progress than the Pacific sub-region
The East Asia sub- Urban Improved Rural Improved National Improved
region has passed the East Asia
Pacific sub-region 1990 54 20 29
2000 65 39 48
2010 76 57 66
Pacific
1990 82 44 51
Use of improved sanitation 2000 81 43 50
facilities, per cent 2010 81 45 51
Gains have been
made in all East Asia sub-region 37
UNICEF regions, South Asia 16
but not in the Middle East & North Africa 12
Pacific
Americas and Caribbean 12
Percentage point gain Sub-Saharan Africa 5
in national improved
sanitation facility use, CEE/CIS 4
1990 to 2010. Pacific Pacific sub-region 0
and East Asia sub-
regions compared to 0 10 20 30 40
UNICEF regions. % point change 1990-2010
However, some Pacific countries have made good progress
 Six Pacific countries have achieved over 90 per cent sanitation coverage by 2010 (Tokelau,
Tonga, Samoa, Cook Islands, Niue and Palau)
 Nine Pacific countries are either on track to meet the MDG sanitation target, or have
already achieved it
 The urban-rural sanitation coverage gap was significantly reduced in Fiji (from a gap of 50
percentage points in 1990 to just 23 points in 2010) and Palau (from a 42 point gap in 1990
to parity in 2010)
* In this snapshot, Papua New Guinea is in the Pacific sub-region in conformance with MDG classification
practices (the MDG Oceania region). This means that coverage levels and progress rates in that country
heavily influence sub-regional averages due to its large population relative to Pacific Island Nations.
A Snapshot of Sanitation and Hygiene in East Asia and the Pacific – 2012 Update 5

7. Handwashing with Soap and Water
New standardized hygiene indicators Results from Cambodia and Mongolia
 A standardized set of proxy indicators for  In both countries urban dwellers are
handwashing with soap is now included in about twice as likely as rural dwellers to
some DHS and MICS surveys have handwashing facilities with soap
 Surveyors use observation to establish and water available
whether or not households have a specific  In Mongolia there is a pronounced
place for handwashing and whether or not difference across household wealth
water and soap is available at that place quintiles, especially between the
 This methodology is more robust than past poorest households (with only 10 per
hygiene surveys that relied mainly on self- cent having a handwashing place with
reported behaviour water, soap and other cleansing agents)
 As more surveys are carried out, regional and other households
and global datasets on handwashing will  In Cambodia there is a major difference
become available: currently two national between the richest households and all
surveys in East Asia have incorporated the the other households
indicators
Cambodia, DHS 2010
100 100
Handwashing with
water, soap or other 80 85 80
83
cleansing agents
Percent Households
60 60
Proportion of households 55
40 46 40
where a place for 41 44
handwashing was observed 30
20 20
with water and soap or
other cleansing agent (e.g., 0 0
ash) present, by household Poorest 2nd 3rd 4th Richest Urban Rural
wealth quintile and
Water and soap
urban/rural
Mongolia,
Summary MICS 2010 100 100
Handwashing with 96
water, soap or other 80 86 80
Percent Households
cleansing agents 70
77
60 60
Proportion of households
40 48 40
where a place for
37
handwashing was observed
20 20
with water and soap or
other cleansing agent 0 10
0
present, by household Poorest 2nd 3rd 4th Richest Urban Rural
wealth quintile and
Water and soap
urban/rural
A Snapshot of Sanitation and Hygiene in East Asia and the Pacific – 2012 Update 6

8. Sanitation in Schools
A large proportion of schools do not have adequate sanitation in many countries in
the region (estimated figures)
100
100 100 100
80
78
60 65 65
63 62
40 45
35
30
20 25 23
0
Estimated proportion of primary schools with adequate sanitation facilities, nationally. Data* gathered
by UNICEF Country Offices from institutional sources in 13 countries.
Poor Sanitation in schools is a Sanitation coverage in schools may be
cause for concern lower than at home
 Available data* shows that
sanitation coverage is low in 100 100
Population using sanitation at home, %
Schools with adequate sanitation, %
primary schools in the region
 In some countries fewer than half 80 80
of schools have adequate facilities
 Evidence shows that functioning 72
60 60
sanitation facilities are necessary 63
for education achievement, health
and gender equality 40 40
20 20
*Data on water and sanitation in schools
presented here is from a variety of
government institutional reporting systems 0 0
(compiled by UNICEF country offices), and Sanitation in Sanitation in
generally not from surveys. School coverage Schools Households
data is based on national standards, which
vary from country to country. Criteria defining Adequate facilities in primary schools, non-weighted
the adequacy of facilities in schools can average of 13 countries (1st graph); national
include the ratio of boys and of girls to toilets coverage average in the same countries (2nd graph).
available, whether or not girls and boys toilets (These datasets are not directly comparable: one is
are separate and private, the existence of from household surveys the other from institutional
toilets for teachers, the type of toilet/latrine, sources.)
and others.
A Snapshot of Sanitation and Hygiene in East Asia and the Pacific – 2012 Update 7

9. Sanitation Coverage in East Asia and the Pacific
Mongolia
DPR Korea
China
Marshall
Micronesia Islands
Myanmar Lao PDR
Viet Nam
Thailand Philippines
Kiribati
Nauru
Cambodia
Malaysia Palau
Tuvalu
Tokelau
Solomon
Indonesia Islands Samoa
Less than 50% Cook
Timor- Islands
50% to 75% Leste Papua Vanuatu
Fiji
New
76% to 90%
Guinea Tonga Niue
91% to 100%
Insufficient data
Improved sanitation coverage in East Asia and Pacific countries, 2010, national. Only countries in the
UNICEF East Asia and Pacific region are shown. This map does not reflect a position by UNICEF on the
legal status of any country or territory or the delimitation of any frontiers.
Data Sources and Notes
Main sanitation dataset: from Progress on Drinking Water and Sanitation: 2012 Update (with supplemental data
from wssinfo.org), from WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation (JMP)
Country-specific DHS data: from published Demographic and Household Surveys available at measuredhs.com,
from USAID and national statistics bureaus
Country-specific MICS data: from published Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys available at childinfo.org, from
UNICEF, other UN agencies and national statistics bureaus
Cover photo credits, clockwise from top right: © UNICEF CBDA2008-00026/Noorani, NYHQ2009-2063/Estey,
NYHQ2004-1269/Pirozzi, NYHQ2008-1274/Estey, MGLA2007-00886/Holmes.
UNICEF does not warrant that the information contained in this publication is complete and correct and shall
not be liable for any damages incurred as a result of its use.
Acknowledgements
UNICEF thanks Greg Keast, who developed and produced this snapshot under the guidance of Chander Badloe,
UNICEF East Asia and the Pacific Regional Office. Special appreciation also to the following reviewers for their
valuable inputs: Almud Weitz from the Water and Sanitation Program; James Wicken from WaterAid; Hilda
Winartasaputra from Plan International; and Ramesh Bhusal, Therese Dooley, Nguyen Thanh Hien, Libbet Horn-
Phathanothai, Dara Johnston, Janine Kandel, Rolf Luyendijk, Nadarajah Moorthy, Henk van Norden, Marjolein
Oijevaar, Michael Emerson P. Gnilo and David Parker from UNICEF.
A Snapshot of Sanitation and Hygiene in East Asia and the Pacific – 2012 Update 8

10. Sanitation Coverage by Country
Country estimates by type of sanitation practice, 1990, 2010
Urban Rural National
Total
Country Year Population Open Open Open
Improv- Other Un- Improv- Other Un- Improv- Other Un-
Shared Defec- Shared Defec- Shared Defec-
(x 1,000) ed improved ed improved ed improved
ation ation ation
1990 9,532 36 5 10 49 5 1 5 89 9 2 5 84
Cambodia
2010 14,138 73 10 2 15 20 4 4 72 31 5 3 61
1990 1,145,195 48 15 34 3 15 4 72 9 24 7 62 7
China
2010 1,341,335 74 24 2 0 56 14 28 2 64 19 16 1
1990 18 100 - 0 0 91 - 9 - 96 - 4 -
Cook Islands
2010 20 100 - 0 0 100 - 0 0 100 - 0 0
1990 20,143 - - - - - - - - - - - -
DPR Korea
2010 24,346 86 6 8 - 71 3 26 - 80 5 15 -
1990 728 90 - 10 0 40 - 52 8 61 - 35 5
Fiji
2010 861 94 - 6 0 71 - 28 1 83 - 17 0
1990 184,346 56 8 17 19 21 6 25 48 32 7 22 39
Indonesia
2010 239,871 73 10 3 14 39 12 13 36 54 11 9 26
1990 72 36 7 16 41 21 2 12 65 26 4 13 57
Kiribati
2010 100 - - - - - - - - - - - -
1990 4,192 - - - - - - - - - - - -
Lao PDR
2010 6,201 89 5 3 3 50 1 8 41 63 2 7 28
1990 18,209 88 4 7 1 81 3 7 9 84 3 8 5
Malaysia
2010 28,401 96 4 0 - 95 4 1 - 96 4 0 -
Marshall 1990 47 77 11 12 - 41 9 50 - 64 10 25 -
Islands 2010 54 83 12 1 4 53 12 0 35 75 12 0 13
1990 96 55 - 45 - 20 - 80 - 29 - 71 -
Micronesia
2010 111 - - - - - - - - - - - -
1990 2,193 - - - - - - - - - - - -
Mongolia
2010 2,756 64 31 2 3 29 22 23 26 51 28 9 12
1990 39,268 - - - - - - - - - - - -
Myanmar
2010 47,963 83 12 4 1 73 14 5 8 76 13 5 6
1990 9 66 31 3 - - - - - 66 31 3 -
Nauru
2010 10 65 31 4 0 - - - - 65 31 4 0
1990 2 100 - 0 0 100 - 0 0 100 - 0 0
Niue
2010 1 100 - 0 0 100 - 0 0 100 - 0 0
1990 15 78 - 22 - 36 - 64 - 65 - 35 -
Palau
2010 20 100 - 0 0 100 - 0 0 100 - 0 0
Papua New 1990 4,158 78 - 19 3 42 - 42 16 47 - 39 14
Guinea 2010 6,858 71 - 24 5 41 - 41 18 45 - 39 16
1990 61,629 69 15 8 8 45 10 22 23 57 12 15 16
Philippines
2010 93,261 79 17 1 3 69 16 3 12 74 16 2 8
1990 161 100 - 0 0 99 - 1 - 99 - 1 -
Samoa
2010 183 98 - 2 0 98 - 2 0 98 - 2 0
Solomon 1990 310 98 - 2 - - - - - - - - -
Islands 2010 538 98 - 2 - - - - - - - - -
1990 57,072 94 5 0 1 80 3 0 17 84 4 0 12
Thailand
2010 69,122 95 5 0 0 96 4 0 0 96 4 0 0
1990 743 - - - - - - - - - - - -
Timor-Leste
2010 1,124 73 11 3 13 37 4 16 43 47 6 12 35
1990 2 - - - - 41 - 59 - 41 - 59 -
Tokelau
2010 1 - - - - 93 - 7 - 93 - 7 -
1990 95 98 - 2 - 96 - 4 - 96 - 4 -
Tonga
2010 104 98 - 2 - 96 - 4 - 96 - 4 -
1990 9 86 - 14 - 76 - 24 - 80 - 20 -
Tuvalu
2010 10 88 - 10 2 81 - 12 7 85 - 11 4
1990 147 - - - - - - - - - - - -
Vanuatu
2010 240 64 33 3 0 54 15 29 2 57 20 22 1
1990 67,102 63 4 10 23 30 2 25 43 37 2 22 39
Viet Nam
2010 87,848 94 5 1 0 68 4 22 6 76 4 16 4
1990 1,615,493 57 13 24 6 21 4 59 16 32 7 48 13
Region
2010 1,965,479 77 20 1 2 58 13 21 8 67 16 12 5
August 2012
UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Regional Office (EAPRO)
19 Phra Atit Road, Bangkok, 10200
Thailand
Website: http://www.unicef.org/eapro/
Email: asiapacificinfo@unicef.org
Twitter: twitter.com/unicefasiapac
A Snapshot of Sanitation and Hygiene in East Asia and the Pacific – 2012 Update 9