9.5% of the Irish population is living without safe, private toilets, according to new figures released to mark this year's World Toilet Day.

The figure - amounting to a total of just under 450,000 people - compares to 0.8% of the population in the UK, and 0% in countries such as Japan and Australia.

Russia, Moldova and Romania are said to have the worst toilet access of developed countries, according to charity Water Aid.

South Sudan is said to be the worst place in the world to find a toilet, where 93.3% of the population are without access to even an 'improvised toilet'.

The charity says that while access to clean toilets is taken for granted in most developed countries, "diarrhoea is one of the three most common killers of young children globally, along with pneumonia and malaria.

"Most of these deaths - 58% of them - could be prevented by clean water, sanitation and good hygiene, including handwashing with soap."

You can access the charity's full report here.

UN World Toilet Day, which is co-ordinated by UN Water, was founded in 2001, and aims to 'draw global attention to the sanitation crisis'.

'Ensuring access to water and sanitation for all' is one of the global sustainable development goals set by the UN.