World Toilet Day is an official United Nations international observance held on 19 November each year to inspire action on the global sanitation crisis. The day was first established in 2001 by the NGO World Toilet Organization, founded by Jack Sim in Singapore, to draw public attention to the lack of toilets worldwide and to use the simple word “toilet” instead of more technical terms so that people can relate easily. In 2013, the United Nations General Assembly officially recognised 19 November as World Toilet Day, and since then the observance has been coordinated by UN‑Water.
World Toilet Day focuses on the fact that billions of people still live without safely managed sanitation. Many households have no toilet, share unsafe facilities or use latrines that release untreated waste into the environment. In some places, people are forced to practise open defecation in fields, rail tracks, riversides or water bodies. This contaminates drinking water sources, spreads diarrhoeal disease and undermines dignity, safety and privacy—especially for women, girls, persons with disabilities and older people.
Why it matters
Safe toilets and proper faecal sludge management are essential for health, nutrition, education and economic development. Poor sanitation is linked to diarrhoea, cholera, typhoid, intestinal worm infections and stunting in children. Without decent toilets in schools, girls may miss classes or drop out, especially during menstruation. In many communities, the lack of a private, safe toilet also increases the risk of harassment and violence.
World Toilet Day is closely tied to Sustainable Development Goal 6, which calls for “availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all” by 2030. Current assessments show that the world is off‑track to meet this goal, which is why the Day carries strong messages about increasing investment, strengthening policies, involving communities and using both simple and innovative technologies to manage human waste safely.
History
On 19 November 2001, the World Toilet Organization declared the first World Toilet Day to break the silence around sanitation and talk openly about toilets. For more than a decade, civil society groups and advocates used this day to raise awareness about the human and environmental cost of poor sanitation.
Recognising the importance of the issue, the UN General Assembly in 2013 adopted a resolution designating 19 November as World Toilet Day and calling on Member States and partners to promote access to sanitation and hygiene for all. Since then, each year’s campaign has focused on specific themes such as leaving no one behind, valuing toilets, sustainable sanitation and climate change, and “accelerating change” for SDG 6.
Key facts
Global sanitation gap
- billions of people still lack safely managed sanitation services
- and hundreds of millions practise open defecation
- putting themselves and others at risk of disease.
Health impact
- unsafe water
- sanitation and hygiene contribute to a large share of diarrhoeal disease and the deaths of young children every year.
Human dignity and safety
- having a lockable
- gender‑sensitive toilet protects privacy and reduces the risk of harassment and violence
- especially for women and girls.
Environment
- untreated human waste can pollute rivers
- ponds
- canals and groundwater
- harming ecosystems and making drinking water unsafe.
Economic benefits
- investing in sanitation reduces healthcare costs
- increases productivity and supports tourism and urban development.
In Bangladesh
In Bangladesh, World Toilet Day has special relevance because of the country’s dense population, frequent floods and rapid urbanisation. Over the past two decades, Bangladesh has made major progress in reducing open defecation and expanding access to household latrines, often through community‑based programmes and partnerships with NGOs. However, challenges remain in ensuring safely managed sanitation for all—especially in crowded urban slums, low‑income rural households and climate‑vulnerable areas such as chars and coastal regions.
On World Toilet Day, government departments, city corporations, NGOs, WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) partners and community groups organise rallies, school programmes, public discussions and media campaigns. Messages highlight the importance of using hygienic toilets, proper handwashing with soap after using the toilet, and safe emptying and treatment of pit latrines and septic tanks. Special attention is often given to child‑friendly and disability‑friendly toilets in schools and health facilities.
The day is also used to draw attention to climate‑resilient sanitation—for example, raising toilets and septic tanks in flood‑prone areas, protecting latrines from cyclone and tidal surges, and preventing faecal contamination of surface water during disasters. For Bangladesh, World Toilet Day is a reminder that a simple, safe toilet in every home, school and workplace is not a luxury but a basic foundation for health, dignity and sustainable development.
Frequently asked questions
- What is World Toilet Day?
- World Toilet Day is an official United Nations observance held every year on 19 November to raise awareness about the global sanitation crisis and to promote safe toilets, proper waste management and hygiene for all people as part of Sustainable Development Goal 6.
- Why are toilets and sanitation so important for health?
- Without safe toilets and proper sanitation, human waste can contaminate drinking water, soil and food, leading to diarrhoea, cholera, typhoid, intestinal worms and child malnutrition. Good toilets, together with handwashing with soap, protect health, dignity and the environment.
- What does World Toilet Day mean for families in Bangladesh?
- For families in Bangladesh, World Toilet Day is a reminder to use hygienic toilets instead of open defecation, keep household and community latrines clean, wash hands with soap after using the toilet, and support local efforts to build flood‑resilient and disability‑friendly toilets in homes, schools and health centres.