Are squat toilets common in China?
Yes, you will encounter them, but China is not “all squat toilets”: many public facilities also have seated cubicles. There is no reliable national ratio.
Quick answers
Where should I try first for a seated toilet?
Start with a newer shopping mall. It is usually a better-maintained first place to try, although cleanliness and cubicle type still vary by building.
How do I find the nearest toilet?
In Amap, search 厕所 or 旅游厕所. Major airports, high-speed rail stations, metro hubs and 4A/5A attractions are useful backups.
Practical use
Find a better option, then check the cubicle
Hard information
Infrastructure details you can check
Use these confirmed standards and map records after the practical answer above; they do not imply one nationwide cubicle mix.
52,485
Tourist toilets built or renovated
Official total for the 2015-2017 action plan; all were reported at A-grade or above under the then-current standard.
GB/T 18973
Tourist-toilet quality standard
The 2022 revision renamed “third toilets” as family toilets and replaced the former A-grade system with Class I / II.
4A / 5A
Accessible and family facilities
The cited official material requires accessible facilities and family/third toilets at 4A/5A tourist attractions and major transport hubs.
130,000
Tourist-toilet map records
Amap integrated tourism-toilet data across 31 provincial-level regions and more than 20,000 attractions; search 厕所 or 旅游厕所.
Still unknown
Details the evidence does not support
- No verified national squat-to-seated toilet percentage by venue type.
- No national cleanliness pass rate for ordinary rural-road or township service-station toilets.
- No verified live accuracy rate for squat-versus-seated fixture counts inside Amap or other map listings.
FAQ
China public-toilet questions
How many tourist toilets were upgraded?
The official 2015-2017 action-plan total is 52,485 newly built or renovated tourist toilets.
Do major attractions have accessible toilets?
The cited standard and official implementation material require accessible and family/third toilets at 4A/5A attractions.
Can Amap show nearby toilets?
Yes. The cited media report says Amap integrated 130,000 tourism-toilet records; search 厕所 or 旅游厕所.
What percentage of toilets are squat toilets?
R5 does not provide a verified nationwide percentage, so YouChina does not publish one.
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Sources
- 厕所革命——引领城乡人居环境变革 (in Chinese)— 新疆维吾尔自治区文化和旅游厅· Reviewed 2026-07-30
- 关于加强推进旅游业厕所革命的提案答复 (in Chinese)— 沈阳市人民政府· Reviewed 2026-07-30
- “面子”和“里子”兼修 “方便”与风景同在 (in Chinese)— 重庆市万盛经济技术开发区· Reviewed 2026-07-30
- 春节出游不尴尬，旅游厕所地图上线啦 (in Chinese)— 澎湃新闻· Reviewed 2026-07-30
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