Human beings are now largely an urban species: for the first time in history, more than half of the world’s population lives in towns, cities and megacities.
Worldwide, it is estimated that almost one-fifth of all urbanites – over 700 million people – live without a decent toilet. To put that into context, the queue for people waiting for toilets in our cities and towns would stretch around the world 29 times.
In WaterAid’s new report, Overflowing cities: The State of the World’s Toilets 2016, they look at some of the world’s worst countries for urban sanitation, and some of the jobs that are created when the challenge is addressed head-on.
Photo credit: Sustainable sanitation via Foter.com / CC BY