Availability of Soap
Indicator Phrasing
English: % of respondents which can within one minute bring and show a soap from their dwelling
French: % des répondants qui peuvent, en une minute, apporter et montrer un savon de leur habitation
Portuguese: % de inquiridos que conseguem dentro de um minuto trazer e mostrar sabão de sua casa
Czech: % respondentů, jež dokáže během jedné minuty přinést ze svých obydlí mýdlo na mytí rukou
What is its purpose?
Washing hands with soap is the most effective way of preventing life-threatening diarrhoeal diseases. The indicator therefore assesses the proportion of households having soap available for their use.
How to Collect and Analyse the Required Data
Collect the following data by conducting individual interviews with a representative sample of the adult members of your target households:
RECOMMENDED SURVEY QUESTIONS (Q) AND POSSIBLE ANSWERS (A)
Q1: Do you currently have any soap for washing hands?
A1: yes / no / doesn't know
(ask the following question only if the previous answer is YES)
Q2: Can you please show it to me?
A2:
1) soap was reported and is available
2) soap was reported and is available, but it took longer than 1 minute to bring
3) soap was reported but is NOT available
To calculate the indicator's value, divide the number of respondents who brought and showed soap within one minute, by the total number of respondents. Multiply the result by 100 to convert it to a percentage.
Disaggregate by
Disaggregate the data by wealth.
Important Comments
1) According to UNHCR's standards, the proportion of households having soap at home should be ≥ 90%.
2) ECHO's list of the Key Result Indicators (KRI) uses a different version of a soap-related indicator: "number of people having regular access to soap to meet hygienic needs". ECHO's guidance on the use of this indicator is available below.
3) USAID/OFDA uses a different version of this indicator: "number of households with soap and water at a hand washing location". See USAID/OFDA's guidance on this indicator.
4) Do not count washing powder and other detergents as 'soap' as it is very unlikely that they would be used for washing hands daily.
Access Additional Guidance
- Global WASH Cluster
- ECHO (2016) List of Key Results Indicators (KRI) (.pdf)
- ECHO (2016) List of Key Results Indicators (KRI) - French version (.pdf)