6.1
By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all
Measured by
- 6.1.1Tier 1Proportion of population using safely managed drinking water services
4Planet
Official UN icon, shown whole and unmodified.
United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6
Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.
Goal 6 raised the bar its predecessor set. The Millennium Development Goal asked whether a household had an improved water source; Goal 6 asks whether that source is on the premises, available when needed, and free from contamination — the standard it calls safely managed. Applying the stricter test moved millions of people out of the “served” column overnight.
The goal then extends well past the household tap into wastewater treatment, water quality in the environment, water-use efficiency, integrated resource management across basins, transboundary cooperation, and the condition of water-related ecosystems.
Verified work by charities on 4Planet, tagged to Goal 6.
Official UN wording. Serious reporting maps work to targets rather than goals — the code is what belongs in a disclosure. Numbered targets are outcomes; lettered targets are means of implementation.
By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all
By 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations
Worth knowing before you cite a Goal 6 figure.
The standard requires evidence on accessibility, availability and quality together. Countries with data on only one or two components cannot report the headline measure at all, so coverage of the coverage statistic is itself incomplete.
Household measurement is the backbone of this goal. Water and sanitation in schools, health facilities and workplaces are reported through separate instruments that are far less complete.
The water stress indicator compares national withdrawal to available resources. A country can look comfortable at that scale while individual basins are severely over-abstracted.
Changes in the extent of lakes, rivers, wetlands and aquifers are tracked at intervals that lag the pressures acting on them, so the ecosystem target rarely reflects the current state of a basin.
Across all 17 goals, 35% of assessed targets are on track or making moderate progress and 18% have regressed. Source: The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2025, UN DESA.
No 4Planet writing carries this goal yet. Read the rest of the blog.
We link to the UN's own material rather than re-hosting it.
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
By 2030, substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity and substantially reduce the number of people suffering from water scarcity
By 2030, implement integrated water resources management at all levels, including through transboundary cooperation as appropriate
By 2020, protect and restore water-related ecosystems, including mountains, forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers and lakes
By 2030, expand international cooperation and capacity-building support to developing countries in water- and sanitation-related activities and programmes, including water harvesting, desalination, water efficiency, wastewater treatment, recycling and reuse technologies
Support and strengthen the participation of local communities in improving water and sanitation management
