There has been significant progress in the prevalence of households having soap and water at handwashing stations in both the lowest and highest equity quintiles, with an impressive increase of 24 and 19 percentage points, respectively. While there has been a slight narrowing of the gap between the two quintiles, it is evident that the lowest equity quintile still has considerable ground to cover to reach the same level as the highest equity quintile.
Availability of Soap and Water at Handwashing Stations by Equity Quintile
Availability of Soap and Water at Handwashing Stations by Caste/Ethnicity
Both the marginalized and Brahmin and Chhetri communities have substantially increased the prevalence of households with soap and water at handwashing stations. The marginalized communities showed a faster improvement of 39 percentage points compared to 32 percentage points in the Brahmin and Chhetri communities. This has led to a slight narrowing of the gap between the two groups, with the prevalence of handwashing stations now higher in the marginalized communities.
Availability of Soap and Water at Handwashing Stations by Agro-Ecological Zones
All three agro-ecological zones have experienced significant increases in the prevalence of households with soap and water at handwashing stations. The hill and terai regions showed similar rates of increase, with both at 36 and 35 percentage points, respectively, compared to 27 percentage points in the mountain region. As a result, the gap between the hill and terai regions remains similar, but there is a wider gap between these two regions and the mountain region.
15%
2017
-
49%
2022
12%
2017
-
50%
2022
