Even Uruguay, which uses the fewest toilet rolls in our study, gets through enough each year to reach to the moon and back 21 times over. Scroll down our visualisation below to see how far into space each country's annual TP usage goes.
France, Portugal, Italy, Japan, Argentina, Venezuela, and Spain: Instead of toilet paper, people from these countries (most of them from Europe) usually have a bidet in their washrooms. A bidet like a toilet, but also includes a spout that streams water like a water fountain to rinse you clean.
About 70% - 75 % of the world's population does not use toilet paper. People in some parts of the world do not use toilet paper due to a lack of trees. Some people don't use toilet paper because they can't afford it. Many people would rather not spend money on fancy paper to wipe their behinds.
FYI, toilet paper is preferred across Europe, USA and many East Asian countries. Most countries in Southeast Asia, as well as parts of Southern Europe, favour the use of water.
Don't flush toilet paper in Greece
There's a very simple explanation: Greek sewage pipes are approximately two inches (50mm) in diameter. American and British plumbing is twice as large (four inches/100mm). The Greek pipes just get clogged. They don't call them 'modern conveniences' for nothing.
European toilets use less water (and may have the "dual-flush" option that lets users choose a lighter flush for liquid waste), and there's less splashback and less noise involved.
In Europe, toilet paper is certainly an option for sanitation, but most occupants overseas prefer to use the bidet for cleaning themselves post toilet use. Bidets feature a mounted spout that sprays water when the occupant is in place and able to press a button.
Toilet paper preferences vary according to culture
Finns are special in that they also use yellow toilet paper. According to a survey by AC Nielsen, over one fifth of Finnish households also buys yellow paper. Germans differ from Nordic consumers by being more partial to scented and coloured grades.
Therefore, the shelf toilets were designed to use much less water than their American counterparts - hence the shelf. If you are sick, you can look at your prized matter before flushing it or even take a stool sample for your doctor.
The main purpose of a dual flush button is to save water. The dual flush button allows the user to control the waste water. The smaller button (half flush) delivers a smaller volume of water than the larger button (full flush).
Public toilets often do not equip each toilet stall with toilet paper in Russia. Sometimes toilet paper is available outside the stalls. Sometimes there is none to be had. You can purchase small, travel-sized rolls from hygiene-product travel sections in supermarkets or convenience stores.
Leaves, sticks, moss, sand and water were common choices, depending on early humans' environment. Once we developed agriculture, we had options like hay and corn husks. People who lived on islands or on the coast used shells and a scraping technique.
Toilet paper is used in Japan, even by those who own toilets with bidets and washlet functions (see below). In Japan, toilet paper is thrown directly into the toilet after use. However, please be sure to put just the toilet paper provided in the toilet.
If you were 'today years old' when you learned that the French people prefer their toilet paper pink, you're not alone. But why is pink such a popular choice in France, I hear you ask. Well, if we rewind a little, to around the 1960's, France started using recycled paper to manufacture their loo rolls.
Toilet Paper in Korea
Other than throwing used toilet paper in a garbage can instead of flushing; there are some more things that might surprise you. Some Korean bathrooms will have toilet paper outside the stalls. Some even have it outside the bathroom. And some just won't have any!
Instead of toilets, people used cesspits, which are holes dug outside for toilet waste. What Did Vikings make their houses out of? The Vikings used wool. The Colonial Americans used the core center cobs from shelled ears of corn.
It's just a toilet. What most Dutch people don't know is that this toilet is something typically Dutch. For a lot of people coming to the Netherlands it's an unpleasant surprise. What is the typical Dutch toilet? The bowl has a unique shape which includes a sort of shelf, a little bit above the water level.
Water Closet (WC)
The phrase 'water closet' arose in England in the 1870s. Originally 'wash-down closet', it quickly evolved into the phrase water closet through common usage. Over time, it has simply become 'WC'.
If you're Muslim, however, there's an additional bathroom need that has to be met: There must always be a small vessel, to be filled with water, with which to wash your nether regions. For Muslims, toilet paper alone doesn't cut it. Our tech predates it. The vessel can look any number of ways.
Many toilet stalls may be furnished with toilet paper, but it's traditionally used not to wipe but to dry your bottom and your hand after the splashing.
Gender-Neutral Bathrooms
Some European bathrooms have shared hand-washing facilities for women and men, with adjacent but separate toilet areas. And some restrooms make no distinctions for gender at all.
Its popularity spread from France to all across Europe and other parts of the world, except for America. Part of the reason is that bidets got a bad reputation. Americans first saw them in World War II in European brothels, so, many associated them with sex work.
Empty rolls AGAIN?!!
Egyptians think we foreigners are the gross ones. While we stick (sometimes, quite literally) to toilet paper, Egyptians have their beloved shatafa.