Bhutan - People with basic handwashing facilities including soap and water, rural (% of rural population)

People with basic handwashing facilities including soap and water, rural (% of rural population) in Bhutan was 93.40 as of 2020. Its highest value over the past 16 years was 93.40 in 2020, while its lowest value was 71.49 in 2004.

Definition: The percentage of people living in households that have a handwashing facility with soap and water available on the premises. Handwashing facilities may be fixed or mobile and include a sink with tap water, buckets with taps, tippy-taps, and jugs or basins designated for handwashing. Soap includes bar soap, liquid soap, powder detergent, and soapy water but does not include ash, soil, sand or other handwashing agents.

Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (washdata.org).

See also:

Year Value
2004 71.49
2005 71.49
2006 71.49
2007 71.49
2008 71.49
2009 73.32
2010 75.14
2011 76.97
2012 78.79
2013 80.62
2014 82.45
2015 84.27
2016 86.10
2017 87.92
2018 89.75
2019 91.57
2020 93.40

Development Relevance: Hygiene is closely correlated with human health. Target 6.2 of the Sustainable Development Goals recognizes that access to facilities allowing good hygiene and sanitation should be universal, and especially important to women and girls, and those in vulnerable situations. Of the range of hygiene behaviors considered important for health, hand washing with soap and water is a top priority in all settings, and is considered one of the most cost-effective interventions to prevent diarrheal diseases. The availability of a basic handwashing facility is a prerequisite for basic hygiene facilities on premises, and is a useful proxy for hygienic behavior.

Limitations and Exceptions: Presence of a handwashing station with soap and water does not guarantee that household members consistently wash hands at key times, but is accepted as the most suitable proxy. Data on handwashing facilities are available for a growing number of low- and middle-income countries after hygiene questions were standardized in international surveys. However, this type of information is not available from most high-income countries, where access to basic handwashing facilities is assumed to be nearly universal.

Statistical Concept and Methodology: Data on drinking water, sanitation and hygiene are produced by the Joint Monitoring Programme of the World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) based on administrative sources, national censuses and nationally representative household surveys. WHO/UNICEF defines a basic handwashing facility as a device to contain, transport or regulate the flow of water to facilitate handwashing with soap and water in the household.

Periodicity: Annual

Classification

Topic: Health Indicators

Sub-Topic: Disease prevention