Ask someone from Tokyo, Rome, Bangkok and Birmingham to describe a normal loo and you will get four different answers. There are many different types of toilets in the world, and each one comes with its own habits, etiquette and quiet assumptions about what is clean. This is a guide to how the world goes to the loo, what each style does differently and why the one in your bathroom is not the only way to do it, in the smallest room in the house, which we have long argued is more interesting than it gets credit for.
The main types of toilets around the world are the sitting flush toilet, the squat toilet, the standalone bidet, the handheld bidet shower and the electronic bidet toilet seat Japan made famous. Which one you grew up with quietly shapes what feels normal in the bathroom.
Different types of toilets at a glance
| Toilet type | Where you are most likely to find it | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| Sitting flush toilet | The UK, most of Europe, North America, Australia | You sit on a raised bowl and flush with a cistern |
| Squat toilet | Common in parts of Asia, the Middle East and Africa | A pan set into the floor; you squat over it |
| Standalone bidet | Italy [4], plus parts of southern Europe and South America | A separate low basin used to wash after the loo |
| Bidet shower | Parts of Southeast Asia, the Middle East and southern Europe | A handheld spray hose beside the toilet |
| Electronic bidet toilet seat | Japan, and increasingly elsewhere [2] | A seat with a built in warm water spray, dryer and heated seat |
Behind the table sits a less comfortable fact. According to the WHO and UNICEF, 3.4 billion people still lacked safely managed sanitation in 2024, and 354 million people still practised open defecation, with no toilet of any kind [1]. The latest WHO and UNICEF progress report is worth reading if you want the full picture, and UNICEF sanitation data breaks it down by country. Any conversation about loo culture starts from a position of privilege, and that is worth saying out loud.
The sitting flush toilet: the UK default
If you grew up in Britain, the sitting flush toilet with a cistern and a seat is simply what a loo is. It is quiet, familiar and very good at taking things away quickly, which is part of why most of us never look at what we leave behind. The downside of the sit down design, some researchers suggest, is posture: a seated position may mean a little more straining than a squat for some people, which we dig into in the best position to poop.
The squat toilet: older, simpler and still widespread
The squat toilet, a pan set level with the floor, remains common in parts of Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Visitors often find it daunting the first time. In one small study, squatting was linked with quicker, less effortful bowel movements than sitting, though it was a modest trial and results vary from person to person [3]. If you are heading somewhere with squat toilets, the basics are simple: place your feet securely on the footrests, squat over the pan and carry your own paper, because it is not always provided. Travelling can throw your whole routine off anyway, which is why your gut can feel like a stranger when you travel.
The bidet: why Italy built it into its homes
In Italy, the bidet is not a quirk. Under a 1975 ministerial decree on residential hygiene standards, homes are expected to include at least one bathroom fitted with a bidet, alongside a toilet, a bath or shower and a basin [4]. The bidet itself is French in origin and is named after the French word for a small pony, because of the way you sit astride it.
If you have ever stared at one in a hotel and wondered where to start, here is how to use a bidet:
- Use the toilet first and wipe lightly with paper if you like.
- Move to the bidet and sit astride it, facing either the taps or the wall, whichever feels more comfortable.
- Run the water and test the temperature with your hand before you sit down fully.
- Wash with water, and a gentle unperfumed soap if you want one.
- Pat dry with a clean towel kept just for the purpose, or toilet paper.
Japanese toilets and the rise of the bidet toilet
Japan took the bidet idea and built it into the seat. In a 2018 Cabinet Office survey, 80.2% of Japanese households of two or more people had an electronic toilet with a bidet function, up from just 14.2% when the figures were first compiled in 1992 [2]. Nippon.com has a lovely history of how they went from novelty to normal. A typical Japanese toilet seat offers a warm water spray, a dryer and a heated seat, and many add a deodoriser or a flushing sound to cover other noises, a small detail that says a lot about bathroom privacy.
Outside Japan, the bidet toilet (a seat or complete toilet with a built in spray) has been steadily gaining ground, and the smart toilet seat has become its techy cousin. Our guides to the smart toilet health trackers available in 2026 and the passive health category beyond wearables cover where that market is heading, and our explainer on bathroom biomarkers covers what we mean by the term.
The bidet shower: the handheld option
In parts of Southeast Asia and the Middle East, a common way to wash after the loo is a bidet shower, a small handheld spray hose mounted beside the toilet. It is sometimes nicknamed the bum gun, and it is cheap, easy to fit and popular with people who prefer water to paper. Like many styles on this list, it often comes down to what you grew up with, which is also true of the microbes you share with the people you live with, as we explore in how your household shapes your gut and why your home might be cleaner than your gut would like.
What no toilet in the world tells you
Here is the funny thing. Whether you squat, sit, spray or wash, almost every toilet on earth is designed to make the evidence disappear as fast as possible. Which means most of us have very little idea what our own normal looks like: how often we go, what is typical for us, or how our stool colour and shape shift from week to week. If you are wondering whether your own rhythm is typical, start with how often you should poo and why poo sinks or floats.
Gutsi is the gut health tracker that turns guesswork into a clearer picture of your usual pattern. It fits any standard toilet in minutes, it is plug and play and private by design, and it tracks your digestive patterns (consistency, frequency and hydration) every day, so you can understand what is normal for you. You can compare approaches in active versus passive gut tracking and is there a device that tracks bowel movements.
Next time you travel, notice the loo before you notice the view. It is one of the quickest ways to understand a culture. And if a trip throws your routine off, give yourself a few days back home to settle before reading too much into it. For more loo culture, browse The Digest.
References
- WHO and UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (2025). Progress on household drinking water, sanitation and hygiene 2000 to 2024: special focus on inequalities. View at UNICEF Data
- Nippon.com (2018, updated 2026). High tech toilets become standard household equipment in Japan, citing the Cabinet Office consumer confidence survey, March 2018. View at Nippon.com
- Sikirov, D. (2003). Comparison of straining during defecation in three positions: results and implications for human health. Digestive Diseases and Sciences, 48(7), 1201 to 1205. View at doi.org
- The Local Italy (2023). Reader question: are bidets legally required in Italian homes? Citing Ministerial Decree of 5 July 1975, Article 7. View at The Local
Gutsi provides lifestyle and wellness insights only. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, and should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice.
