Five coverage goals, from pre-school to tap water: one was met on time. India’s tap water reached 79.74% of rural homes
- Saudis: 52% own their home60%
- Brazil: 93.5% literate92.9%
- Brazil: pre-school for all91.3%
- S. Africa: 90% with HIV treated77%
- India: tap water for all79.7%
Share in the deadline year, %
One was met on time. India’s tap water reached 79.74% of rural homes.
Closest was literacy in Brazil: 92.9% against a goal of 93.5%, reached two years later. Only Saudi Arabia’s housing goal was exceeded, 60% against 52%, but that is the housing ministry’s own estimate.
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Promises to cover everyone, with pre-school, tap water or treatment, or to bring a share up to a number sound simple, and the last percent is the hardest. Here are five such promises from four countries.
A row is one promise: who, what and by when. The question is whether at least half came true. Answer Yes or No, or just open the answer: each row gets its outcome and what actually came of it, the card a stamp counting those that came true. Quotes and links to the facts are below.
- Saudis: 52% own their home — Government of Saudi Arabia (Council of Economic and Development Affairs), 2016 % of Saudi families
promised 52 by 2020; fact 60 (115%). According to the ministry, the share exceeded 60% by end-2020 against a 52% goal.
Ministry of Municipalities and Housing, «Housing sector system»
- Brazil: 93.5% literate — National Education Plan law (Dilma Rousseff), 2014 % of population aged 15+
promised 94 by 2015; fact 93 (99%). In 2015, 92.9% against 93.5%; 93.5% was reached in 2017.
INEP, Relatório do 5º Ciclo de Monitoramento das Metas do PNE 2024, индикатор 9A (PNAD Contínua)
- Brazil: pre-school for all — Dilma Rousseff, 2014 % of children aged 4–5
promised 100 by 2016; fact 91 (91%). In 2016, 91.3% of 4–5-year-olds against a goal of 100%; the peak was 94.0% in 2019, and 93.0% in 2022.
- S. Africa: 90% with HIV treated — ANC (2019 election manifesto), 2019 % of people living with HIV on treatment
promised 90 by 2020; fact 77 (86%). 77% of people living with HIV were on treatment in 2020 against 90%; among those who knew their status, 82%.
ВОЗ, Global Health Observatory (оценки UNAIDS) / WHO GHO (UNAIDS estimates)
- India: tap water for all — Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), 2019 % of rural households with a tap connection
promised 100 by 2024; fact 80 (80%). By early 2025, 79.7% of rural households had a tap connection (16.8% at the 2019 start).
Министерство водных ресурсов Индии (Jal Shakti), пресс-справка PIB
Promises: verbatim from party manifestos, Brazil’s National Education Plan law and the Vision 2030 plan. Fact: INEP (Brazil), India’s Ministry of Jal Shakti, WHO from UNAIDS estimates (South Africa), Saudi Ministry of Housing. Outcome: «came true» — the promised number reached by the deadline («about» within 5%), an event happened before the end of the year promised; «exceeded» — with room to spare; «nearly» — short by no more than 10%; «late» — reached, but after the deadline; «did not come true» — not reached; «came true, then undone» — reached, then reversed. The deadline is the end of the year named.
Saudi Arabia: both the 47% base and the 60% are estimates of the ministry reporting on its own programme, not a statistical survey. India: the fact is for February 2025; a connection does not always mean daily water; the mission was extended to 2028. Brazil: in 2016 the series moved to a new survey. South Africa: among people who know their diagnosis 82% were on treatment.
A question for this picture
Why is the last percent of coverage harder than the first?