The Economics of Sanitation Initiative, launched in 2007 with a WSP study from East Asia, found that the economic costs of poor sanitation and hygiene amounted to over US $9.2 billion a year (2005 prices) in Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, the Philippines, and Vietnam, affecting a total population of more than 400 million. The groundbreaking study was the first of its kind to attribute dollar amounts to a country’s losses from poor sanitation.
WSP (2011): Economics of Sanitation Initiative: What Are the Economic Costs of Poor Sanitation and Hygiene?. Washington, D.C.: Water and Sanitation Program (WSP) URL [Accessed: 06.02.2012]