World Toilet Day — that’s today, Nov. 19 — is no joke. (Although clearly the German toilets pictured above have a sense of humor.)

This day in honor of the loo was created by Jack Sim, a Singapore entrepreneur who founded the World Toilet Organization in 2001. In 2013, it was declared an official U.N. day. The aim is to raise awareness about the need for more toilets. And there’s a lot of need.

According to the World Health Organization, 2 billion people “still do not have basic sanitation facilities such as toilets or latrines.” That’s 300 million fewer people than last year, but it still works out to about 1 in 4 people without any kind of toilet at all. Read more at NPR.