Progress on Wastewater Treatment (SDG target 6.3)
Wastewater collection and treatment help protect freshwater systems, the oceans and also human health, as detrimental pathogens, nutrients and other types of pollution are prevented from entering the environment.
- 58 % of the world’s domestic wastewater is safely treated (SDG indicator 6.3.1, 2022)
Available time series: 2015-2022
Number of countries (and areas) reporting in the last five years: 149
Proportion of world population covered by reporting in the last five years: 90%
Proportion of world land area covered by reporting in the last five years: 88%
Learn more about the indicator here
Read the latest progress report here
SDG target 6.3 is: ‘By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally’.
To track progress towards the target, SDG indicator 6.3.1 monitors the proportion of total, industrial and domestic wastewater flows safely treated in compliance with national or local standards.
Global status of indicator 6.3.1 Proportion of wastewater flow (safely) treated
6.3.1 Proportion of wastewater flow (safely) treated > Total (2015-2020)
Proportion of wastewater safely treated (%)
>75-100
>50-75
0-50
Data not Available
Not Applicable
6.3.1 Proportion of wastewater flow (safely) treated > Industrial (2015)
Proportion of wastewater safely treated (%)
>75-100
>50-75
0-50
Data not Available
Not Applicable
6.3.1 Proportion of wastewater flow (safely) treated > Domestic (2020-2022)
Proportion of wastewater safely treated (%)
>75-100
>50-75
0-50
Data not Available
Not Applicable
Change in 6.3.1 Proportion of wastewater flow (safely) treated > Domestic between 2020 and 2022, by region
Status in different SDG regions of 6.3.1 Proportion of wastewater flow (safely) treated > Domestic, compared to the status of 6.2.1a Proportion of population using safely managed sanitation services (2020-2022)
Proportion of UN Member States with different levels of total wastewater treatment, by region (2015)
Proportion of UN Member States with different levels of Industrial wastewater treatment, by region (2015)
Domestic wastewater flow generated through different sanitation facilities, by region (2020)
Domestic wastewater flow delivered to treatment and safely treated globally, by sanitation facility (2020)
Country (or area), regional and world data for the latest year of reporting (data from 2015 - 2022):
| Country (or area), region, world | Year | 6.3.1 Proportion of wastewater flow (safely) treated | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Domestic | Industrial | ||
| Albania | 2022 | 48.99 | 19.47 | |
| Algeria | 2022 | 76.19 | ||
| American Samoa | 2022 | 77.5 | ||
| Andorra | 2022 | 100 | 100 | |
| Argentina | 2022 | 35.75 | 36.49 | |
| Armenia | 2022 | 49.84 | 0.56 | 21.81 |
| Australia | 2022 | 99.13 | 95.82 | |
| Australia and New Zealand | 2022 | 92.22 | ||
| Austria | 2022 | 70.99 | 98.21 | |
| Azerbaijan | 2022 | 59.91 | 41.34 | |
| Bahrain | 2022 | 99.96 | 93.27 | 104.91 |
| Bangladesh | 2022 | 0.02 | 17.52 | |
| Belarus | 2022 | 59.61 | 80.31 | 42.22 |
| Belgium | 2015-2022 | 110.88 | 85.07 | 100 |
| Benin | 2022 | 1.41 | ||
| Bermuda | 2022 | 1.5 | ||
| Bhutan | 2022 | 39.61 | ||
| Bolivia (Plurinational State of) | 2020 | 58.29 | ||
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 2015-2022 | 36.84 | 65.31 | 100 |
| Brazil | 2015-2022 | 9.35 | 43.41 | |
| Bulgaria | 2022 | 129.87 | 72.09 | 51.49 |
| Burkina Faso | 2022 | 2.78 | ||
| Cambodia | 2022 | 46.79 | ||
| Canada | 2022 | 253.14 | 68.89 | 70.36 |
| Central African Republic | 2020 | 0.57 | ||
| Central and Southern Asia | 2022 | 23.99 | ||
| Chad | 2022 | 2.32 | ||
| Channel Islands | 2022 | 93.53 | ||
| Chile | 2022 | 49.92 | 89.1 | |
| China | 2022 | 61.67 | ||
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 2015-2022 | 95.41 | 91.12 | 47.18 |
| China, Macao Special Administrative Region | 2022 | 65.31 | ||
| Colombia | 2022 | 45.3 | 18.77 | 34.14 |
| Costa Rica | 2022 | 28.43 | 25.43 | 64.37 |
| Croatia | 2022 | 94.52 | 33.97 | 100 |
| Cuba | 2022 | 24.36 | 34.04 | 152.42 |
| Cyprus | 2022 | 100 | 72.63 | |
| Czechia | 2022 | 88.29 | 91.29 | 36.84 |
| Côte d'Ivoire | 2022 | 16.81 | ||
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | 2022 | 15.53 | ||
| Denmark | 2022 | 98.79 | ||
| Djibouti | 2022 | 11.14 | ||
| Dominican Republic | 2022 | 32.84 | 39.56 | |
| Eastern and South-Eastern Asia | 2022 | 62.63 | ||
| Ecuador | 2020-2022 | 29.82 | 31.11 | |
| Egypt | 2015-2022 | 32.12 | 73.84 | |
| El Salvador | 2020 | 12.95 | ||
| Estonia | 2022 | 95.2 | 92.28 | 72.87 |
| Eswatini | 2022 | 17.47 | ||
| Ethiopia | 2022 | 58.86 | 3.04 | 43.16 |
| Europe and Northern America | 2022 | 86.48 | ||
| Faroe Islands | 2020 | 0 | ||
| Fiji | 2022 | 39.79 | ||
| Finland | 2022 | 80.05 | 89.74 | |
| France | 2022 | 129.57 | 87.94 | 91.34 |
| French Guiana | 2022 | 71.78 | ||
| Gambia | 2022 | 10.55 | ||
| Georgia | 2022 | 48.76 | ||
| Germany | 2022 | 147.69 | 98.96 | 58.59 |
| Ghana | 2022 | 87.64 | 11.82 | 83.61 |
| Gibraltar | 2020 | 100 | ||
| Greece | 2022 | 89.68 | ||
| Greenland | 2022 | 0 | ||
| Guinea-Bissau | 2022 | 19.12 | ||
| Guyana | 2022 | 32.48 | ||
| Hungary | 2022 | 133.73 | 82.05 | |
| Iceland | 2022 | 3.05 | ||
| India | 2022 | 37.13 | 20.71 | |
| Iran (Islamic Republic of) | 2022 | 36.35 | 25.23 | |
| Iraq | 2022 | 60.53 | 41.96 | |
| Ireland | 2022 | 51.73 | ||
| Isle of Man | 2022 | 84.91 | ||
| Israel | 2022 | 97.35 | ||
| Italy | 2022 | 70.22 | ||
| Jamaica | 2022 | 100.01 | ||
| Japan | 2022 | 91.67 | ||
| Jordan | 2022 | 91.24 | 76.83 | |
| Kazakhstan | 2022 | 13.14 | 36.34 | 1.99 |
| Kenya | 2022 | 75.96 | 11.36 | |
| Kiribati | 2022 | 33.23 | ||
| Kosovo | 2022 | 1.82 | ||
| Kuwait | 2022 | 100 | ||
| Kyrgyzstan | 2022 | 19.01 | ||
| Lao People's Democratic Republic | 2022 | 10.25 | ||
| Latin America and the Caribbean | 2022 | 45.92 | ||
| Latvia | 2022 | 64.22 | 87.42 | 33.15 |
| Libya | 2022 | 14.41 | ||
| Liechtenstein | 2020 | 98.12 | ||
| Lithuania | 2022 | 57.58 | 96.75 | 16.03 |
| Luxembourg | 2022 | 98.3 | 98.63 | |
| Madagascar | 2022 | 10.79 | ||
| Malawi | 2022 | 32.52 | 6.33 | |
| Malaysia | 2022 | 89.32 | ||
| Mali | 2022 | 6.12 | ||
| Malta | 2022 | 78.47 | 1.08 | |
| Mauritius | 2022 | 19.06 | ||
| Mexico | 2022 | 45.83 | 64.35 | 25.05 |
| Monaco | 2022 | 100 | 96.77 | |
| Mongolia | 2022 | 100 | 26.14 | |
| Montenegro | 2022 | 56.16 | 55.28 | |
| Morocco | 2015-2022 | 40.14 | 44.63 | |
| Myanmar | 2022 | 125.63 | 15.12 | |
| Nepal | 2022 | 38.6 | ||
| Netherlands | 2022 | 154.35 | 99.79 | |
| New Zealand | 2022 | 84.48 | ||
| Nicaragua | 2022 | 31.8 | ||
| Niger | 2022 | 8.63 | ||
| Nigeria | 2022 | 41.3 | ||
| North Macedonia | 2022 | 37.5 | 4.86 | |
| Northern Africa and Western Asia | 2022 | 63.77 | ||
| Norway | 2022 | 75.81 | ||
| Oceania (excluding Australia and New Zealand) | 2022 | 14.85 | ||
| Oman | 2022 | 99.04 | ||
| Pakistan | 2022 | 38.11 | ||
| Panama | 2022 | 54.4 | ||
| Papua New Guinea | 2022 | 5.06 | ||
| Paraguay | 2022 | 25.15 | ||
| Peru | 2022 | 82.1 | 48.65 | |
| Philippines | 2022 | 66.59 | ||
| Poland | 2015-2022 | 36.22 | 77.38 | 71.09 |
| Portugal | 2022 | 87.51 | ||
| Puerto Rico | 2022 | 32.51 | ||
| Qatar | 2022 | 99.95 | ||
| Republic of Korea | 2022 | 96.62 | 99.05 | |
| Republic of Moldova | 2022 | 18.07 | 46.16 | |
| Romania | 2022 | 72.81 | 30.09 | 38.04 |
| Russian Federation | 2022 | 14.74 | ||
| Réunion | 2022 | 74.49 | ||
| Samoa | 2022 | 99.77 | 42.86 | |
| San Marino | 2022 | 90.19 | ||
| Saudi Arabia | 2022 | 87.65 | 85.19 | |
| Senegal | 2022 | 65.6 | 7.8 | |
| Serbia | 2022 | 7.83 | 36.48 | 22.56 |
| Sierra Leone | 2022 | 15.33 | ||
| Singapore | 2022 | 100 | 100 | |
| Slovakia | 2015-2022 | 100.4 | 81.97 | 100 |
| Slovenia | 2022 | 65.22 | ||
| South Africa | 2022 | 298.44 | 41.29 | |
| Spain | 2022 | 157.11 | 79.9 | |
| State of Palestine | 2020-2022 | 52.17 | 48.36 | |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | 2022 | 20.08 | ||
| Suriname | 2022 | 23.83 | ||
| Sweden | 2022 | 96.98 | ||
| Switzerland | 2022 | 99.29 | ||
| Thailand | 2022 | 124.35 | 24.61 | |
| Togo | 2022 | 14.96 | ||
| Tonga | 2022 | 30.4 | ||
| Tunisia | 2022 | 72.9 | ||
| Turks and Caicos Islands | 2022 | 30.61 | ||
| Tuvalu | 2022 | 42.63 | ||
| Türkiye | 2022 | 70.67 | 64.68 | |
| Uganda | 2022 | 42.06 | 3.68 | |
| Ukraine | 2022 | 50.23 | ||
| United Arab Emirates | 2022 | 94.96 | ||
| United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | 2022 | 97.45 | ||
| United Republic of Tanzania | 2022 | 14.38 | 7.67 | |
| United States of America | 2022 | 97.85 | ||
| Uzbekistan | 2020-2022 | 97.15 | 32.27 | |
| Viet Nam | 2022 | 39.92 | ||
| World | 2022 | 57.79 | ||
| Yemen | 2022 | 28.11 | ||
| Zambia | 2022 | 1337.68 | ||
| Zimbabwe | 2022 | 53.9 | 54.78 | |