The scale of investment required to deliver sanitation goods and services to those who lack access is beyond the capacity of public finance alone. The private sector has already proven itself a key player in the financing, construction, and operation of municipal water supply and wastewater systems in both developed and developing world settings, and has a significant role to play in the provision of onsite sanitation. Experts increasingly view market-based sanitation (MBS) as a promising approach for scaling the delivery of onsite sanitation to households that are not connected to centralized wastewater collection and conveyance systems.

This desk review describes the current state of knowledge in MBS and establishes a framework to analyze, design, and improve MBS interventions. It is based on a survey of approximately 600 documents on MBS, in-depth research into 13 MBS intervention case studies across the global south, and interviews with sector experts and program personnel.