How clean is my country?

A collation of statistics on population density, water, sanitation and hygiene for 100 countries throws up disturbing trends

Published on:

15 Jun 2004, 12:00 am

In deep shit This is what most developing countries are in
Country	Total population (millions)	Annual excrement production (million metric tonnes)	Annual excrement not disposed of safely (million metric tonnes)
Afghanistan	28.7	2.7	2.4
Bangladesh	146.7	13.9	7.2
Brazil	176.5	16.7	4
Burkina Faso	13.2	1.3	0.9
Cambodia	12.6	1.2	1
China	1,288.7	122.3	73.4
Ethiopia	70.7	6.7	5.9
Fiji	0.9	< 0.1	< 0.1
India	1,068.6	101.4	73
Iran	66.6	6.3	1.1
Kenya	31.6	3	0.4
Laos	6.0	0.6	0.4
Mali	11.6	1.1	0.3
Mauritius	1.2	0.1	< 0.1
Nepal	25.2	2.4	1.7
Pakistan	149.1	14.1	5.4
Palestine	3.6	0.3	< 0.1
Russia	145.5	13.8	no data
Saudi Arabia	24.1	2.3	< 0.1
Sierra Leone	5.7	0.5	0.2
Somalia	8.0	0.8	no data
South Africa	44.0	4.2	0.5
Sri Lanka	19.3	1.8	0.1
Vietnam	80.8	7.7	4.1
Zambia	12.6	1	0.2

There is a direct link between sanitation and infant mortality. Take Afghanistan. Here, 87 per cent and 88 per cent of the population lack access to improved water supply and sanitation respectively. This translates into deaths of 48,000 children per annum

In Rwanda 92 per cent of excrement is not disposed off safely. This is followed by Afghanistan and Ethiopia at 88 per cent

Among the surveyed countries, Bangladesh has the highest population density of 1,019 people per square kilometre (sq km). Mongolia has the least at 2 people per sq km

519,500 Indian children die annually due to lack of sanitation and poor hygiene. The under-five mortality rate is 93.

Out of the 100 countries studied, Sierra Leone has the highest under-five infant mortality rate at 316, followed by Afghanistan at 257

In both Afghanistan and Ethiopia , 88 per cent of excrement is not disposed of safely. India ns generate101.4 milion metric tonnes of excrement per annum and 72 per cent isn't disposed of.

Poor sanitation and infant mortality A link still not understood by many
Country	Percentage of population without access to improved water supply	Percentage of population without access to improved sanitation	Estimated annual number of children dying from poor hygiene	Under-five mortality rate (per 1,000 live births)
Afghanistan	87	88	48,000	257
Bangladesh	3	52	21,000	77
Burkina Faso	58	71	19,300	197
Cambodia	70	83	10,700	138
Ethiopia	76	88	95,500	172
India	16	72	519,500	93
Kenya	43	13	22,000	122
Laos	63	70	1,200	100
Mali	94	31	24,100	231
Sierra Leone	43	34	15,500	316
Somalia	no data	no data	14,400	225
South Africa	14	13	10,600	71
Zambia	36	22	18,400	202