Does Economic Growth Drive Equitable Water and Sanitation Access? Assessing Inequality Reduction Across 64 Nations

ABSTRACT This article examines whether economic growth reduces inequalities in access to water and sanitation across 64 countries over an average period of 13.5 years. Drawing on disaggregated data by income quintiles and rural–urban location, and employing ordinary least squares (OLS), two‐stage least squares (2SLS), and Seemingly Unrelated Regression Estimation, the study finds that GDP per capita growth is associated with overall improvements but limited distributive gains. Disparities persist among lower‐income quintiles and rural populations, and sanitation inequality shows no significant correlation with growth. The findings underscore the bidirectional relationship, as inequality in water access negatively impacts GDP per capita. Governance effectiveness, water use efficiency, and educational attainment emerge as stronger predictors of equitable access than income inequality. These results challenge growth‐centric development paradigms and call for equity‐oriented policy that integrates social and spatial justice into water and sanitation governance.