Global access to clean water is a significant global challenge that affects the health, well-being, and development of people worldwide. While progress has been made in recent years, millions of people still lack access to safe and clean drinking water sources.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF, as of 2020, approximately two billion people globally do not have access to safely managed drinking water.[1] This lack of access leads to various consequences, including increased vulnerability to waterborne diseases, reduced educational opportunities, gender inequalities, and economic burdens.
Ranking by access to improved water source edit
An improved water source, as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO), refers to a drinking water source that provides adequate and safe water for human consumption. Examples of improved water sources include piped water connections, protected wells, boreholes with hand pumps, packaged or delivered water and rainwater collection systems with appropriate treatment.[2]
| Country / dependency | % unimp. water |
Year | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Papua New Guinea |
52.53% | 2020 |
| 2 |  Madagascar |
43.90% | 2020 |
| 3 |  Democratic Republic of the Congo |
40.61% | 2020 |
| 4 |  Chad |
39.07% | 2020 |
| 5 |  Central African Republic |
37.12% | 2020 |
| 6 |  Angola |
33.54% | 2020 |
| 7 |  Equatorial Guinea |
32.38% | 2017 |
| 8 |  Niger |
31.43% | 2020 |
| 9 |  Eritrea |
30.55% | 2016 |
| 10 |  Kenya |
28.83% | 2020 |
| 11 |  Zambia |
28.43% | 2020 |
| 12 |  Tanzania |
27.99% | 2020 |
| 13 |  Sierra Leone |
27.21% | 2020 |
| 14 |  Guinea-Bissau |
26.95% | 2020 |
| 15 |  Solomon Islands |
26.90% | 2020 |
| 16 |  Mozambique |
26.65% | 2020 |
| 17 |  Togo |
25.35% | 2020 |
| 18 |  Benin |
25.27% | 2020 |
| 19 |  Ethiopia |
23.64% | 2020 |
| 20 |  Haiti |
23.49% | 2020 |
| 21 |  Afghanistan |
23.46% | 2020 |
| 22 |  Zimbabwe |
23.14% | 2020 |
| 23 |  South Sudan |
21.62% | 2020 |
| 24 |  Burkina Faso |
21.51% | 2020 |
| 25 |  Cameroon |
21.40% | 2020 |
| 26 |  Côte d'Ivoire |
20.16% | 2020 |
| 27 |  Swaziland |
19.74% | 2020 |
| 28 |  Burundi |
18.35% | 2020 |
| 29 |  Kiribati |
17.95% | 2020 |
| 30 |  Lesotho |
17.42% | 2020 |
| 31 |  Nigeria |
17.41% | 2020 |
| 32 |  Rwanda |
17.26% | 2020 |
| 33 |  Uganda |
16.86% | 2020 |
| 34 |  Nicaragua |
16.78% | 2020 |
| 35 |  Liberia |
16.04% | 2020 |
| 36 |  Somalia |
15.82% | 2020 |
| 37 |  Republic of the Congo |
15.75% | 2020 |
| 38 |  Tajikistan |
15.58% | 2020 |
| 39 |  Cambodia |
14.88% | 2020 |
| 40 |  Mauritania |
14.84% | 2020 |
| 41 |  Guinea |
14.76% | 2020 |
| 42 |  Myanmar |
14.69% | 2020 |
| 43 |  Mali |
13.60% | 2020 |
| 44 |  Sudan |
12.88% | 2020 |
| 45 |  Senegal |
12.71% | 2020 |
| 46 |  East Timor |
12.62% | 2020 |
| 47 |  Mongolia |
12.36% | 2020 |
| 48 |  Laos |
11.21% | 2020 |
| 49 |  Gambia |
10.46% | 2020 |
| 50 |  Yemen |
10.37% | 2020 |
| 51 |  Djibouti |
9.19% | 2020 |
| 52 |  Comoros |
8.93% | 2019 |
| 53 |  Namibia |
8.64% | 2020 |
| 54 |  Malawi |
8.00% | 2020 |
| 55 |  Republic of Moldova |
7.91% | 2020 |
| 56 |  Vanuatu |
7.71% | 2020 |
| 57 |  Ghana |
7.62% | 2020 |
| 58 |  Sri Lanka |
7.18% | 2020 |
| 59 |  Gabon |
6.92% | 2020 |
| 60 |  Indonesia |
6.73% | 2020 |
| 61 |  Bolivia |
6.47% | 2020 |
| 62 |  Kyrgyzstan |
6.40% | 2020 |
| 63 |  French Guiana |
6.22% | 2020 |
| 64 |  Pakistan |
6.03% | 2020 |
| 65 |  Peru |
6.01% | 2020 |
| 66 |  Nepal |
5.95% | 2020 |
| 67 |  Venezuela |
5.84% | 2020 |
| 68 |  Fiji |
5.70% | 2020 |
| 69 |  North Korea |
5.47% | 2020 |
| 70 |  Guatemala |
4.96% | 2020 |
| 71 |  China |
4.92% | 2020 |
| 72 |  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
4.85% | 2018 |
| 73 |  Falkland Islands |
4.69% | 2020 |
| 74 |  Ecuador |
4.64% | 2020 |
| 75 |  Dominica |
4.58% | 2017 |
| 76 |  India |
4.53% | 2020 |
| 77 |  Morocco |
4.33% | 2020 |
| 78 |  Honduras |
3.89% | 2020 |
| 79 |  Cayman Islands |
3.88% | 2020 |
| 80 |  Panama |
3.75% | 2020 |
| 81 | Mayotte |
3.63% | 2020 |
| 82 |  Jamaica |
3.60% | 2020 |
| 83 |  South Africa |
3.34% | 2020 |
| 84 |  Cape Verde |
3.33% | 2020 |
| 85 |  Antigua and Barbuda |
3.26% | 2017 |
| 86 |  Guyana |
3.24% | 2020 |
| 87 |  Grenada |
3.21% | 2017 |
| 88 |  Seychelles |
3.15% | 2019 |
| 89 |  Vietnam |
3.12% | 2020 |
| 90 |  Botswana |
3.06% | 2020 |
| 91 |  Albania |
3.05% | 2020 |
| 92 |  Philippines |
3.03% | 2020 |
| 93 |  Azerbaijan |
2.91% | 2020 |
| 94 |  Dominican Republic |
2.85% | 2020 |
| 95 |  Georgia |
2.65% | 2020 |
| 96 |  Kazakhstan |
2.62% | 2020 |
| 97 |  Ireland |
2.60% | 2020 |
| 98 |  Malaysia |
2.55% | 2020 |
| 99 |  Anguilla |
2.52% | 2017 |
| 100 |  Russia |
2.39% | 2020 |
| 101 |  Colombia |
2.32% | 2020 |
| 102 |  Uzbekistan |
2.17% | 2020 |
| 103 |  Aruba |
2.13% | 2016 |
| 104 |  Lithuania |
1.99% | 2020 |
| 105 |  Montserrat |
1.92% | 2020 |
| 106 |  El Salvador |
1.85% | 2020 |
| 107 |  Samoa |
1.64% | 2020 |
| 108 |  Sao Tome and Principe |
1.54% | 2020 |
| 109 |  Cuba |
1.53% | 2020 |
| 110 |  Saint Kitts and Nevis |
1.39% | 2017 |
| 111 |  Croatia |
1.32% | 2007 |
| 112 |  Saint Lucia |
1.30% | 2020 |
| 113 |  United States Virgin Islands |
1.28% | 2020 |
| 114 |  Barbados |
1.22% | 2020 |
| 115 |  Bangladesh |
1.15% | 2020 |
| 116 |  Bahamas |
1.11% | 2019 |
| 117 |  Palestinian Territory |
1.09% | 2020 |
| 118 |  Bulgaria |
0.99% | 2020 |
| 119 |  Argentina |
0.98% | 2016 |
| 120 |  Turkey |
0.96% | 2020 |
| 121 |  Suriname |
0.94% | 2020 |
| 122 |  Japan |
0.92% | 2020 |
 Isle of Man |
0.92% | 2020 | |
| 124 |  Jordan |
0.91% | 2020 |
| 125 |  Tunisia |
0.83% | 2020 |
| 126 |  Canada |
0.78% | 2020 |
| 127 |  Iraq |
0.75% | 2020 |
| 128 |  New Caledonia |
0.69% | 2020 |
| 129 |  Macedonia |
0.62% | 2020 |
| 130 |  Montenegro |
0.60% | 2020 |
| 131 |  Algeria |
0.58% | 2020 |
 Iran |
0.58% | 2020 | |
| 133 |  Brazil |
0.55% | 2020 |
| 134 |  Latvia |
0.54% | 2020 |
| 135 |  Slovenia |
0.50% | 2020 |
 Curacao |
0.50% | 2017 | |
| 137 |  Serbia |
0.46% | 2020 |
| 138 |  Qatar |
0.43% | 2020 |
| 139 |  Estonia |
0.41% | 2020 |
 Maldives |
0.41% | 2020 | |
| 141 |  Ukraine |
0.40% | 2020 |
| 142 |  Tonga |
0.39% | 2020 |
| 143 |  Belize |
0.35% | 2020 |
| 144 |  Palau |
0.34% | 2020 |
| 145 |  Egypt |
0.32% | 2020 |
 Mexico |
0.32% | 2020 | |
| 147 |  Guam |
0.30% | 2020 |
| 148 |  Oman |
0.29% | 2020 |
| 149 |  Bhutan |
0.23% | 2020 |
 Cyprus |
0.23% | 2020 | |
 American Samoa |
0.23% | 2020 | |
| 152 |  Syria |
0.20% | 2020 |
| Guadeloupe |
0.20% | 2020 | |
| 154 |  Sweden |
0.17% | 2020 |
| 155 | Martinique |
0.16% | 2020 |
| 156 |  British Virgin Islands |
0.14% | 2020 |
| 157 |  Mauritius |
0.13% | 2020 |
| 158 |  Czech Republic |
0.12% | 2020 |
 Luxembourg |
0.12% | 2020 | |
 United States |
0.12% | 2020 | |
| 161 |  Libya |
0.11% | 2020 |
| 162 |  Brunei |
0.10% | 2020 |
 Bermuda |
0.10% | 2020 | |
| 164 |  Belarus |
0.09% | 2020 |
 Portugal |
0.09% | 2020 | |
| 166 |  Italy |
0.08% | 2020 |
| 167 |  Spain |
0.07% | 2020 |
 South Korea |
0.07% | 2020 | |
| 169 |  Bosnia and Herzegovina |
0.06% | 2020 |
| 170 |  Marshall Islands |
0.04% | 2020 |
| 171 |  Armenia |
0.03% | 2020 |
 United Arab Emirates |
0.03% | 2020 | |
 Cook Islands |
0.03% | 2020 | |
 Poland |
0.03% | 2020 | |
| 175 |  United Kingdom |
0.00% | 2020 |
| France |
0.00% | 2020 | |
 Belgium |
0.00% | 2020 | |
 Netherlands |
0.00% | 2020 | |
 Germany |
0.00% | 2020 | |
 Switzerland |
0.00% | 2020 | |
 Andorra |
0.00% | 2020 | |
 Austria |
0.00% | 2020 | |
 Bahrain |
0.00% | 2020 | |
 Uruguay |
0.00% | 2020 | |
 Turkmenistan |
0.00% | 2020 | |
 Trinidad and Tobago |
0.00% | 2020 | |
 Thailand |
0.00% | 2020 | |
 Slovakia |
0.00% | 2020 | |
 Singapore |
0.00% | 2020 | |
 Saudi Arabia |
0.00% | 2020 | |
 Romania |
0.00% | 2020 | |
 Puerto Rico |
0.00% | 2020 | |
 Paraguay |
0.00% | 2020 | |
 Norway |
0.00% | 2020 | |
 New Zealand |
0.00% | 2020 | |
 Lebanon |
0.00% | 2020 | |
 Israel |
0.00% | 2020 | |
 Hungary |
0.00% | 2020 | |
 Hong Kong |
0.00% | 2020 | |
 Greece |
0.00% | 2020 | |
 Finland |
0.00% | 2020 | |
 Denmark |
0.00% | 2020 | |
 Costa Rica |
0.00% | 2020 | |
 Chile |
0.00% | 2020 | |
 French Polynesia |
0.00% | 2020 | |
 Greenland |
0.00% | 2020 | |
 Iceland |
0.00% | 2020 | |
 Kuwait |
0.00% | 2020 | |
 Liechtenstein |
0.00% | 2020 | |
 Malta |
0.00% | 2020 | |
 Monaco |
0.00% | 2020 | |
 Nauru |
0.00% | 2020 | |
 San Marino |
0.00% | 2020 | |
| Reunion |
0.00% | 2020 | |
 Faroe Islands |
0.00% | 2020 | |
 Gibraltar |
0.00% | 2020 | |
 Macao |
0.00% | 2020 | |
 Northern Mariana Islands |
0.00% | 2020 | |
 Tuvalu |
0.00% | 2020 |
Ranking by access to safe drinking water edit
List of countries by share of population with access to safe drinking water. Safe drinking water is water from an improved water source which is reliable and free from contamination.
| Rank | Country | Share with access to safe drinking water (in percent)[3] |
Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gibraltar
|
100.00% | 2020 |
| Greece
|
100.00% | 2020 | |
| Hong Kong
|
100.00% | 2020 | |
| Iceland
|
100.00% | 2020 | |
| Kuwait
|
100.00% | 2020 | |
| Liechtenstein
|
100.00% | 2020 | |
| Malta
|
100.00% | 2020 | |
| Monaco
|
100.00% | 2020 | |
| New Zealand
|
100.00% | 2020 | |
| San Marino
|
100.00% | 2020 | |
| Singapore
|
100.00% | 2020 | |
| 12 | Germany
|
99.99% | 2020 |
| 13 | Macau
|
99.98% | 2020 |
| 14 | Netherlands
|
99.97% | 2020 |
| 15 | Belgium
|
99.91% | 2020 |
| 16 | Puerto Rico
|
99.86% | 2020 |
| 17 | United Kingdom
|
99.82% | 2020 |
| 18 | Cyprus
|
99.77% | 2020 |
| 19 | Sweden
|
99.75% | 2020 |
| 20 | Finland
|
99.64% | 2020 |
| 21 | Spain
|
99.59% | 2020 |
| 22 | Luxembourg
|
99.46% | 2020 |
| 23 | Guam
|
99.44% | 2020 |
| 24 | Israel
|
99.32% | 2020 |
| 25 | France
|
99.25% | 2020 |
| 26 | Slovakia
|
99.24% | 2020 |
| 27 | South Korea
|
99.19% | 2020 |
| 28 | Martinique
|
99.06% | 2020 |
| 29 | Canada
|
99.04% | 2020 |
| 30 | Bahrain
|
98.98% | 2020 |
| 31 | Austria
|
98.90% | 2020 |
| 32 | Chile
|
98.77% | 2020 |
| 33 | Norway
|
98.64% | 2020 |
| 34 | Japan
|
98.57% | 2020 |
| 35 | American Samoa
|
98.36% | 2020 |
| 36 | Poland
|
98.33% | 2020 |
| 37 | Slovenia
|
98.27% | 2020 |
| 38 | United States Virgin Islands
|
97.94% | 2020 |
| 39 | Czech Republic
|
97.88% | 2020 |
| 40 | Bulgaria
|
97.62% | 2020 |
| 41 | Guadeloupe
|
97.59% | 2020 |
| 42 | Ireland
|
97.33% | 2020 |
| United States
|
97.33% | 2020 | |
| 44 | Isle of Man
|
97.21% | 2020 |
| 45 | Greenland
|
96.74% | 2020 |
| 46 | Denmark
|
96.73% | 2020 |
| 47 | New Caledonia
|
96.64% | 2020 |
| 48 | Latvia
|
96.29% | 2020 |
| 49 | Qatar
|
96.18% | 2020 |
| 50 | Italy
|
95.82% | 2020 |
| 51 | Estonia
|
95.76% | 2020 |
| 52 | Portugal
|
95.35% | 2020 |
| 53 | Lithuania
|
94.92% | 2020 |
| 54 | Turkmenistan
|
94.83% | 2020 |
| 55 | Belarus
|
94.61% | 2020 |
| 56 | Reunion
|
94.32% | 2020 |
| 57 | Switzerland
|
94.25% | 2020 |
| 58 | Iran
|
93.98% | 2020 |
| 59 | Malaysia
|
93.82% | 2020 |
| 60 | Mayotte
|
93.45% | 2020 |
| 61 | Hungary
|
92.59% | 2020 |
| 62 | Palau
|
91.31% | 2020 |
| 63 | Andorra
|
90.64% | 2020 |
| 64 | French Guiana
|
90.56% | 2020 |
| 65 | Oman
|
90.56% | 2020 |
| 66 | Northern Mariana Islands
|
90.53% | 2020 |
| 67 | Kazakhstan
|
89.33% | 2020 |
| 68 | Ukraine
|
89.02% | 2020 |
| 69 | Bosnia and Herzegovina
|
88.87% | 2020 |
| 70 | Azerbaijan
|
88.32% | 2020 |
| 71 | Grenada
|
87.12% | 2017 |
| 72 | Armenia
|
86.91% | 2020 |
| 73 | Brazil
|
85.77% | 2020 |
| 74 | Jordan
|
85.70% | 2020 |
| 75 | Montenegro
|
85.07% | 2020 |
| 76 | French Polynesia
|
83.86% | 2020 |
| 77 | Croatia
|
82.14% | 2007 |
| 78 | Romania
|
81.99% | 2020 |
| 79 | Costa Rica
|
80.52% | 2020 |
| 80 | Morocco
|
79.95% | 2020 |
| 81 | Palestinian Territory
|
79.70% | 2020 |
| 82 | Tunisia
|
79.29% | 2020 |
| 83 | Macedonia
|
76.83% | 2020 |
| 84 | Russia
|
76.10% | 2020 |
| 85 | Serbia
|
75.04% | 2020 |
| 86 | Republic of Moldova
|
74.07% | 2020 |
| 87 | Colombia
|
73.01% | 2020 |
| 88 | Algeria
|
72.38% | 2020 |
| 89 | Albania
|
70.67% | 2020 |
| 90 | Kyrgyzstan
|
70.09% | 2020 |
| 91 | Ecuador
|
66.83% | 2020 |
| 92 | North Korea
|
66.38% | 2020 |
| 93 | Georgia
|
66.35% | 2020 |
| 94 | Paraguay
|
64.08% | 2020 |
| 95 | Iraq
|
59.66% | 2020 |
| 96 | Myanmar
|
58.83% | 2020 |
| 97 | Uzbekistan
|
58.83% | 2020 |
| 98 | Bangladesh
|
58.51% | 2020 |
| 99 | Guatemala
|
55.83% | 2020 |
| 100 | Suriname
|
55.76% | 2020 |
| 101 | Nicaragua
|
55.52% | 2020 |
| 102 | Tajikistan
|
55.24% | 2020 |
| 103 | Peru
|
51.26% | 2020 |
| 104 | Lebanon
|
47.70% | 2020 |
| 105 | Philippines
|
47.46% | 2020 |
| 106 | Samoa
|
46.23% | 2020 |
| 107 | Republic of the Congo
|
45.90% | 2020 |
| 108 | Gambia
|
44.72% | 2020 |
| 109 | Mexico
|
43.03% | 2020 |
| 110 | Ghana
|
41.41% | 2020 |
| 111 | Bhutan
|
36.65% | 2020 |
| 112 | Sao Tome and Principe
|
36.17% | 2020 |
| 113 | Pakistan
|
35.84% | 2020 |
| 114 | Côte d'Ivoire
|
35.20% | 2020 |
| 115 | Mongolia
|
30.06% | 2020 |
| 117 | Zimbabwe
|
29.54% | 2020 |
| 118 | Tonga
|
29.50% | 2020 |
| 119 | Lesotho
|
28.91% | 2020 |
| 120 | Cambodia
|
27.76% | 2020 |
| 121 | Afghanistan
|
27.59% | 2020 |
| 122 | Guinea-Bissau
|
24.33% | 2020 |
| 123 | Nigeria
|
21.67% | 2020 |
| 124 | Madagascar
|
20.54% | 2020 |
| 125 | Togo
|
19.56% | 2020 |
| 126 | Democratic Republic of the Congo
|
18.99% | 2020 |
| 127 | Laos
|
17.68% | 2020 |
| 128 | Nepal
|
17.58% | 2020 |
| 129 | Uganda
|
16.65% | 2020 |
| 130 | Kiribati
|
14.69% | 2020 |
| 131 | Ethiopia
|
12.58% | 2020 |
| 132 | Rwanda
|
12.10% | 2020 |
| 133 | Sierra Leone
|
10.62% | 2020 |
| 134 | Central African Republic
|
6.18% | 2020 |
| 135 | Chad
|
5.59% | 2020 |
References edit
- ^ "World Water Day: Two billion people still lack access to safely managed water". blogs.worldbank.org. 2023-03-22. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
- ^ "Share of the population without access to an improved water source". Our World in Data. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
- ^ "Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Data Explorer". Our World in Data. Retrieved 2023-06-26.