East Asia

Sustainable development is needed most in rural areas of East Asia. A lot of villages don’t have clean water wells or a clean place to go to the bathroom.

East Asia Sustainable Development Facts

  • In China’s cities, 90 percent of groundwater and 75 percent of lakes and rivers are polluted, mostly by factories. This is a big problem for people who rely on this water for drinking and bathing.
  • People in rural areas of China are 24 percent less likely than people in urban areas to have access to clean drinking water.
  • Only 28 percent of rural Chinese people have a clean place to go to the bathroom. This number is almost 40 percent higher in cities.

Almost half the world lives on less than $2.50 a day.