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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.

  • 56 % of the world’s domestic wastewater is safely treated (2024), but insufficient data to assess industrial wastewater treatment globally (SDG indicator 6.3.1)

Available time series: 2020-2024 (domestic) and 2015-2022 (industrial)
Number of countries (and areas) reporting in the last five years: 155 (domestic) and 26 (industrial)
Proportion of world population covered by reporting in the last five years: 91% (domestic) and 9% (industrial)

Proportion of world land area covered by reporting in the last five years: 89% and 14% (industrial)
Learn more about the indicator here
Read the latest progress report here
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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 (----)

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 (----)

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 (----)

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 ---- and ----, 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 (----)

Proportion of UN Member States with different levels of total wastewater treatment, by region (----) 

Proportion of UN Member States with different levels of Industrial wastewater treatment, by region (----) 

Domestic wastewater flow generated through different sanitation facilities, by region (----)

Domestic wastewater flow delivered to treatment and safely treated globally, by sanitation facility (----)

Source data indicator 6.3.1 Proportion of wastewater flow (safely) treated

Country (or area), regional and world data for the latest year of reporting (data from 2015 - 2024):

Country (or area), region, worldYear6.3.1 Proportion of wastewater flow (safely) treated
Total Domestic Industrial
Afghanistan20246.06
Albania2022-202448.9912.72
Algeria202476.2
American Samoa202479.06
Andorra2022-2024100100
Argentina2022-202435.7523.61
Armenia2022-202449.840.5621.81
Australia2022-202499.1395.77
Australia and New Zealand202492.24
Austria2022-202470.9995.82
Azerbaijan2022-202459.9137.43
Bahrain2022-202499.9694.12104.91
Bangladesh2022-20240.0216.34
Belarus2022-202459.6183.3142.22
Belgium2015-2024110.8885.37100
Benin20246.69
Bermuda20241.5
Bhutan202448.76
Bolivia (Plurinational State of)202058.29
Bosnia and Herzegovina2015-202436.8465.31100
Brazil2015-20229.3543.41
Bulgaria2022-2024129.8774.6451.49
Burkina Faso20242.14
Cambodia202246.79
Canada2022-2024253.1468.370.36
Central African Republic20200.57
Central and Southern Asia202427.88
Chad20242.35
Channel Islands202293.53
Chile2022-202449.9287.89
China202464.03
China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region2015-202495.4193.247.18
China, Macao Special Administrative Region202485.19
Colombia2022-202445.317.2134.14
Costa Rica2022-202428.4324.0964.37
Croatia2022-202494.5234.28100
Cuba2022-202424.3632.61152.42
Cyprus2022-202410072.72
Czechia2022-202488.2991.4536.84
Côte d'Ivoire202418.47
Democratic Republic of the Congo202415.78
Denmark202498.97
Djibouti202411.07
Dominican Republic2022-202432.8434.63
Eastern and South-Eastern Asia202465.28
Ecuador2020-202229.8231.11
Egypt2015-202432.1262.61
El Salvador202012.95
Estonia2022-202495.291.6972.87
Eswatini202416.95
Ethiopia2022-202458.862.9643.16
Europe and Northern America202487.22
Faroe Islands20200
Fiji202439.88
Finland2022-202480.0589.53
France2022-2024129.5786.7591.34
French Guiana202472.52
Gambia202410.53
Georgia202450.24
Germany2022-2024147.6999.1258.59
Ghana2022-202487.6415.5483.61
Gibraltar2020100
Greece202492.11
Greenland20240
Guinea-Bissau202420
Guyana202433.41
Hungary2022-2024133.7372.24
Iceland20241.63
India2022-202437.1328.83
Iran (Islamic Republic of)2022-202436.3526.39
Iraq2022-202460.5341.81
Ireland202450.79
Isle of Man202484.82
Israel202494.95
Italy202470.68
Jamaica2022100.01
Japan202498.58
Jordan2022-202491.2477.42
Kazakhstan2022-202413.1430.31.99
Kenya2022-202475.9611.18
Kiribati202432.9
Kosovo20221.82
Kuwait2024100
Kyrgyzstan202421.86
Lao People's Democratic Republic202410.3
Latin America and the Caribbean202436.64
Latvia2022-202464.2296.4633.15
Lesotho20243.01
Libya202214.41
Liechtenstein202098.12
Lithuania2022-202457.5895.8416.03
Luxembourg2022-202498.398.82
Madagascar202410.95
Malawi2022-202432.526.44
Malaysia202490.61
Mali20246.27
Malta2022-202478.477.04
Mauritius202426.93
Mexico2022-202445.8364.1125.05
Monaco2022-202410093.89
Mongolia2022-202410053.16
Montenegro2022-202456.1631.08
Morocco2015-202440.1475.33
Mozambique202421.67
Myanmar2022-2024125.6315.19
Nauru202435.51
Nepal202429.58
Netherlands2022-2024154.3599.81
New Zealand202484.53
Nicaragua202231.8
Niger20246.84
Nigeria202440.67
North Macedonia2022-202437.54.86
Northern Africa and Western Asia202464.47
Norway202473.95
Oceania (excluding Australia and New Zealand)202415.72
Oman202299.04
Pakistan202238.11
Panama202254.4
Papua New Guinea20247.29
Paraguay202427.36
Peru2022-202482.152.42
Philippines202468.05
Poland2015-202436.2279.2571.09
Portugal202485.33
Puerto Rico202432.51
Qatar202499.95
Republic of Korea2022-202496.6299.43
Republic of Moldova2022-202418.0741.43
Romania2022-202472.8130.6838.04
Russian Federation202421.45
Réunion202474.9
Samoa2022-202499.7743.81
San Marino202490.19
Saudi Arabia2022-202487.6558.43
Senegal2022-202465.617.22
Serbia2022-20247.8334.0322.56
Sierra Leone202416.45
Singapore2022-2024100100
Slovakia2015-2024100.481.97100
Slovenia202482.08
South Africa2022-2024298.4421.59
Spain2022-2024157.1181.24
State of Palestine2022-202452.1771.47
Sub-Saharan Africa202419.42
Suriname202423.83
Sweden202492.83
Switzerland202499.29
Thailand2022-2024124.3533.69
Togo202415.94
Tonga202430.16
Trinidad and Tobago202438.73
Tunisia202475.9
Turks and Caicos Islands202430.61
Tuvalu202442.73
Türkiye2022-202470.6763.45
Uganda2022-202442.063.91
Ukraine202452.43
United Arab Emirates202494.99
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland202497.19
United Republic of Tanzania2022-202414.3816.12
United States of America202498.06
Uzbekistan2020-202297.1532.27
Vanuatu202413.21
Viet Nam202440.76
World202455.78
Yemen202228.11
Zambia20221337.68
Zimbabwe2022-202453.955.25