This means that 2.1 billion people have gained access to improved sanitation since 1990, and the proportion of people practising open defecation globally has fallen almost by half, from 24 per cent to 13 per cent. Southern Asia had the lowest baseline coverage in 1990, at 22 per cent, and recorded the largest increase in the proportion using improved sanitation, reaching 47 per cent in 2015. Currently, 96 per cent of urban populations use improved drinking water sources, compared with 84 per cent of rural populations.