You might feel like toilet paper is a complete given—it’s in every bathroom, you buy it in multi-packs when it’s on sale, and the only thing you really think about is whether it’s two-ply or “ultra soft.” Globally, though, the reality is very different. Estimates suggest that only a minority of humanity uses toilet paper as their primary method of cleaning after using the toilet, while most of the world relies on water or other materials.
To understand why, you have to look at access to basic sanitation, cultural habits, religion, but also money and the environment. And, of course, what all those people actually use when they don’t reach for a roll of paper after using the toilet.
What the world looks like in terms of toilets and hygiene
Before we get to toilet paper itself, it’s worth looking at the basic infrastructure—whether a person has any toilet at all, running water, and a place where they can clean themselves hygienically. According to the latest WHO and UNICEF report from 2023, in 2022 as many as 3.5 billion people worldwide lacked “safely managed” sanitation (in simple terms: a toilet that safely removes and treats waste), and 419 million people were still practicing open defecation—relieving themselves outdoors with no toilet.
That means that for a large share of the population, simply having any kind of toilet is a luxury—let alone having toilet paper, too. In poorer regions of Africa, Asia, or Latin America, simple yard latrines are common, where people use water, soil, or natural materials, and there’s often no space to store paper or any way to dispose of it properly.
At the same time, even where toilets exist, there may be no “official” cleaning medium at all. Research from schools in developing countries regularly shows that toilets have neither toilet paper nor a reliable water source right by the stall—students either carry water with them or use improvised solutions.
How many people actually use toilet paper?
Unlike drinking water or electricity, there is no official “global statistic” on toilet paper use collected by the UN or governments. So what we know about how many people use paper comes only from market analyses, environmental overviews, and studies by hygiene-product manufacturers that combine data on consumption, population, and habits.
Several independent analyses, however, converge on a similar figure: roughly 30% of the world’s population uses toilet paper as its main method of cleaning, while the remaining roughly 70% relies primarily on water or other materials.
To translate that into people: if the world has around 8 billion inhabitants, 30% means roughly 2.4 billion people who use paper regularly. The remaining 5.5 billion clean themselves differently—whether with water, cloth, or natural materials. These estimates aren’t “official” in the sense of government statistics, but they’re based on a combination of country-level toilet paper consumption data, living standards, and sanitation access.
Where toilet paper is the norm—and where it isn’t
Toilet paper is dominant mainly in wealthier countries with flush toilets and developed sewer systems. This includes:
- North America
- Most of Western and Northern Europe
- Parts of East Asia (e.g., Japan, Korea, Taiwan—often combined with modern bidets)
- Australia and New Zealand
By contrast, large parts of the world use water instead of paper as the primary method:
- most of South and Southeast Asia,
- most of the Middle East and Muslim-majority countries,
- large parts of Africa and Latin America,
- some areas of Southern Europe (for example Italy, Portugal, or Greece, where bidets are a common bathroom fixture).
In many countries, wealthier urban households use paper or a paper + water combination, while rural areas get by with a bucket of water, a simple hand sprayer next to the toilet, or very low-cost solutions.
Why a large part of the world doesn’t use toilet paper
The reasons most people on the planet don’t use toilet paper can be grouped into a few categories.
1. Access to infrastructure
If you live in a house without sewers, with a basic latrine and no safe way to dispose of paper, it makes far more sense to use water and some way of rinsing waste into a pit. In places where even drinking water is a challenge, buying toilet paper is often the very last priority.
2. Price and availability
Even in countries with conventional toilets, paper may not be cheap. In poorer regions, families decide whether to buy food, basic medicines, or hygiene—and toilet paper is often at the bottom of the list. Locally cheaper alternatives (old newspapers, cloth, water) are more economical.
3. Cultural and religious habits
In many cultures, cleaning with water is directly tied to the idea of cleanliness and ritual purity. In parts of Asia and in Muslim countries, washing with water (a bidet, a hand sprayer next to the toilet, a small water vessel) is standard, and paper may be seen more as an add-on for drying rather than the main tool.
4. Environmental reasons
The production of toilet paper has a significant environmental impact. It’s estimated that global annual toilet paper consumption (about 42 million tons) requires hundreds of millions of trees, more than a billion tons of water, and large amounts of energy and chemicals.
That’s why, even in “toilet-paper countries,” interest in bidets, hand sprayers, and alternative materials is growing.
Water as the most common alternative
The most common alternative to toilet paper is simply clean water. This can mean:
- a classic bidet (a separate fixture next to the toilet),
- a bidet sprayer (a hand-held sprayer next to the toilet, often called a “shatafa” or “bum gun”),
- modern bidet seats or toilets with integrated wash functions,
- a bucket of water and a small dipper used to pour water.
Research from schools and households in developing countries shows that wherever water is available, people spontaneously prefer it to toilet paper—they consider it more hygienic and it simply feels “cleaner.”
Water also has practical advantages:
it removes residue more easily, irritates the skin less, and doesn’t create solid waste (paper) that has to be disposed of—or that can clog plumbing.
Cloth and reusable alternatives
In some households—especially where there’s a strong focus on eco-friendly or “zero-waste” solutions—people use cloth “wipes” made specifically for the toilet. They work similarly to cloth diapers: after use, they’re stored in a closed container, washed at higher temperatures, and reused.
Historically, and in poorer regions as well, families often used pieces of old cloth that they washed and recycled. From a hygiene standpoint, however, such a system is only safe if there’s enough water, detergent, and a way to dry the cloth thoroughly (ideally in the sun)—otherwise it can pose a higher risk of spreading infections rather than being an advantage.
Natural materials: from stones to corn husks
Long before toilet paper became a mass product, people used practically anything they had on hand that could at least somewhat “scrape off” dirt: stones, clods of clay, grasses, hay, leaves, seaweed, or even corn husks. Historical and modern environmental overviews mention these materials as common in the “pre-paper” era—and in some regions they’re still used today, especially where neither water nor sanitation (as we understand it) is available.
The upside of these materials is zero financial cost—you can find them in a field, the woods, or around the house. The downside is that the hygienic effect is very limited, and they can cause mechanical irritation of the skin or minor injuries. With certain types of leaves or plants, there’s also a risk of allergic reaction or irritation.
Modern alternatives: wet wipes, “eco” paper, and hybrid solutions
In wealthier countries, alongside classic toilet paper, the following are increasingly used:
- wet hygiene wipes—they feel cleaner, but often don’t break down well in sewer systems and increase the risk of clogged pipes,
- toilet paper made from recycled paper or bamboo—intended to reduce the environmental footprint,
- a paper + bidet combination—you use water and then dry with a small amount of paper.
From an environmental standpoint, the most sensible compromise appears to be water (a bidet, hand sprayer) + a minimal amount of paper, or switching to recycled or alternative fibers (e.g., bamboo) that put less pressure on forests than conventional virgin pulp.
Toilet paper vs. water: which is more hygienic?
The “paper vs. water” topic often turns emotional, but hygiene research and real-world practice are fairly clear: where water is easily accessible and conditions allow it to be used safely, people naturally prefer it as a more effective method of cleaning. Studies examining sanitation behavior in developing countries describe water as the most preferred cleaning agent when it is physically and economically available.
In practice, toilet paper mainly “wipes away” part of the residue, but it doesn’t remove it as thoroughly as water. With sensitive skin, hemorrhoids, or inflammation, repeated rubbing with dry paper can make things worse, whereas a gentle rinse with water is often more comfortable. On the other hand, water alone doesn’t solve everything—if contaminated water is used, hygiene can actually be worse than if someone used clean paper.
The ideal solution is therefore a combination: clean water for actual washing, followed by quick drying (either with paper or a clean towel that’s then washed). That’s why in many modern bathrooms you’ll find a bidet or hand sprayer next to a standard roll of paper.
The environmental footprint of toilet paper
Although the headline question is “How many people use toilet paper?”, for the planet an equally important question is: “How much does it cost us in trees, water, and energy?” Environmental analyses warn that meeting annual global toilet paper demand—estimated at tens of millions of tons—requires cutting down hundreds of millions of trees, consuming enormous amounts of water and energy, and using chemicals for bleaching and processing.
If you imagine that one average roll comes from a fraction of a single tree, and the average person in high-consumption countries uses over a hundred rolls per year, it’s clear that with billions of people the ecological cost multiplies quickly. That’s also why many campaigns call either for sensible consumption or for switching to water and more eco-friendly alternatives.
Where the future is heading: bidets, sprayers, and less paper
Global trends suggest that:
- in countries where only a roll of paper has been the norm, interest in bidets and bidet seats is growing,
- in countries with a tradition of using water (Asia, the Middle East), paper often takes on a supporting role—for drying or specific situations,
- environmental campaigns are pushing for lower paper use, recycled materials, and replacing part of paper consumption with water.
Interestingly, what is seen by part of the world as a “modern eco innovation” (a bidet, a hand sprayer by the toilet) is elsewhere a completely ordinary practice that has worked for decades or even centuries. Toilet paper is thus gradually shifting in some countries from being “the only norm” to being just one of several options.
Video: Why the West loves toilet paper
Those who prefer video can watch a short BBC documentary on the topic, explaining why toilet paper took hold in Western countries and how it developed historically.
Video: Should we stop using toilet paper?
On This Morning, the discussion looks at whether toilet paper is truly hygienic, what the benefits of bidets are, and what health and environmental experts have to say.
Sources
- WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Program for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (JMP) – Progress on household drinking water, sanitation and hygiene 2000–2022: Special focus on gender (UN-Water, 2023).
https://www.unwater.org/publications/who/unicef-joint-monitoring-program-update-report-2023 - Pfadenhauer, L. M.; Rehfuess, E. – Towards Effective and Socio-Culturally Appropriate Sanitation and Hygiene Interventions in the Philippines: A Mixed Method Approach (International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2015).
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/12/2/1902 - Who Gives A Crap – 14 Incredible Environmental Toilet Paper Statistics (blog, 2024).
https://blog.whogivesacrap.org/home/environmental-toilet-paper-statistics - QS Supplies – World Toilet Paper Consumption, Visualised (blog, 2022).
https://www.qssupplies.co.uk/world-toilet-paper-consumed-visualised.html
Jana
I like turning curiosity into words, and writing articles is my way of capturing ideas before they slip away — and sharing them with anyone who feels like reading.
