Designing equity-focused sanitation policies in Sub-Saharan Africa: the critical role of subnational data

Open defecation in Sub-Saharan Africa is overwhelmingly concentrated in rural populations, making inequity, not simply low coverage, the central barrier to achieving SDG 6.2. Integrating simple equity metrics such as D, R, PAR, and PAF into national monitoring systems can help governments identify priority populations, estimate potential gains from reducing disparities, and target investments more efficiently and fairly. Equity-focused sanitation strategies are therefore essential to ensuring that no community is left behind.