The Shifting Global Trends in Practice of Basic Sanitation Services: An In-depth Comparative Analysis of the Current Conditions and Future Policy Recommendations

Abstract

Access to basic sanitation and clean water is one of the main sustainable development goals (SDG) acknowledged by UNDP in 2016 [1]. The primary objective of these seventeen sustainable development goals, also known as global goals, is to obtain an inclusive and safe global environment for the people to enjoy sustainable peace and harmony in their communities. This study focuses on forty randomly selected countries from all over the world and categorized them into four groups based on the income level identified by the World Bank to determine the level sanitation practices based on population growth, educational attainment, and GDP growth [2]–[9]. The income level is defined by the gross income level per capita for each country and World Bank determines a benchmark to group these countries. The three primary objectives of this study are to explore, understand, and analyze the impact of urban population growth, the current economy, and educational attainment on the practice of using basic sanitation service among the selected countries' populations. Moreover, this study focuses on other key indicators that impact the basic access to sanitation and how that varies over the period of six years between 2010 to 2015 and offers evidence-based policy recommendations to improve the current practices among the population.