What does a standard indicator look like?
A standard indicator has a clear unit (people, households, schools), a defined condition (has access to, attended, passed), and a time frame. “People with better health” is not an indicator. “Number of children under five who received the full course of a given vaccination in the reporting period” is closer, because it says who, what and when.
The examples below are types and sample wordings. They are not official wording from any agency. If a donor requires a specific indicator, use that donor’s text and definition.
Which indicator types suit WASH projects?
WASH means water, sanitation and hygiene. Common types:
| Type | Example wording |
|---|---|
| Access | Number of households with access to a working water point within a set distance |
| Use | Number of households using a latrine, checked by observation or a visit |
| Quality | Number of water samples that meet a set quality standard |
| Practice | Number of caregivers who report handwashing at key times |
| Function | Number of water points still working after twelve months |
| Management | Number of water committees that collected fees and held meetings |
“Access” is easy to count; “use” and “function” show real results. Try to include at least one of each.
Which indicator types suit health projects?
| Type | Example wording |
|---|---|
| Service delivery | Number of consultations held at supported health facilities |
| Coverage | Number of children who received a routine immunization in the period |
| Quality | Number of facilities with no stock-out of key medicines during the period |
| Knowledge or practice | Number of mothers who can name danger signs in pregnancy |
| Capacity | Number of health workers trained and later observed using the new method |
| Referral | Number of people referred who reached the referral site |
For health, be careful to separate what you count (visits) from what you want to change (health status). Counting visits does not prove better health.
Which indicator types suit education projects?
| Type | Example wording |
|---|---|
| Enrolment | Number of children newly enrolled in supported schools |
| Attendance | Number of enrolled children attending at least a set share of school days |
| Learning | Number of learners who reach a set reading level on a simple test |
| Teacher capacity | Number of teachers trained who use the new method in observed lessons |
| Environment | Number of schools with safe, separate toilets for girls and boys |
| Retention | Number of learners who stay enrolled to the end of the school year |
Learning outcomes need a test or observation tool, and a baseline. Plan for these early.
How do you adapt a standard indicator?
Follow five steps:
- Check the match. Does the indicator measure your result, not just your activity?
- Define each term. What is “access”? How far is “near”? Who counts as a child?
- Fix the source. Name the record or tool that gives the number.
- Set the period. See how to choose reporting periods.
- Plan disaggregation. Decide which splits you need and whether you can collect them safely.
Our article on disaggregating by sex, age and disability covers the last point.
What mistakes should you avoid?
- Counting outputs and calling them outcomes.
- Using an indicator you have no tool to measure.
- Leaving out baselines, so you cannot show change.
- Adding indicators for every donor wish, without merging overlaps.
- Treating a count of records as a count of unique people.
How do you check that an indicator is ready to use?
Before you add an indicator to your plan, test it with five quick questions:
- Can two different staff members count it the same way?
- Do we have a source that gives the number without extra cost?
- Does it measure a result rather than only an activity?
- Do we have, or can we collect, a baseline?
- Will someone use the number to make a decision?
If you answer no to any of these, adjust the indicator or drop it. A short, tested list is easier to run than a long one that no one trusts. Also confirm that the unit and the period appear in the wording, so a reader does not have to guess.
Where EMPOBase fits
The EMPOBase indicator library holds 235 indicators in eight sectors, including WASH, Health and Education, with definitions, means of verification and disaggregation guidance. Treat each entry as reference text: review its sources and adapt it to your donor and program, because inclusion is not a certification of compliance. Library text does not create a live link to results, so you track actuals in Monitoring. Browse examples on the indicator library page.