Close to three quarters of the global population had access to safely managed drinking water in 2022, increasing by four percentage points since 2015. Europe and North America was the region with the highest share at 94 percent, while it was lowest in Sub-Saharan Africa, reaching only 31 percent.

From 2015 through 2022, the population with access to safely managed drinking water services in Bhutan increased by ** percentage points. On the other hand, safe drinking water accessibility in Nepal dropped **** percentage points during the same period of time. Altogether, about ** percent of the world's population had access to safely managed drinking water services in 2022.

The average for 2022 based on 8 countries was 93.6 percent. The highest value was in Hungary: 100 percent and the lowest value was in Romania: 66.7 percent. The indicator is available from 2000 to 2022. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

The average for 2022 based on 93 countries was 69.9 percent. The highest value was in France: 100 percent and the lowest value was in Tuvalu: 10.5 percent. The indicator is available from 2000 to 2022. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

In 2022, an estimated 91 percent of the world population had access to at least basic drinking water services. Access was highest in Europe and North America and Australia and New Zealand, with approximately 100 percent of both regions having access to at least basic drinking water services.

Access to safe drinking water

Improved drinking water refers to a source that can be adequately protected from outside contamination, mostly by fecal matter. An improved sanitation facility keeps human waste out of reach, for example, by using a flush toilet or a septic tank. These protected sources include rainwater, protected springs, and piped water into a dwelling. Global investments in water supply infrastructure are expected to increase.

Global water inequality

In most regions of the world, 90 percent of the population has access to at least basic drinking water services. However, just 65 percent of the population in sub-Saharan Africa and 60 percent of the population in Oceania had basic access in 2022. In sub-Saharan Africa, about 16 percent of people had access to unimproved water sources and eight percent only had access to surface waters. Unimproved water sources include bottled water and tanker-trucks. Currently, eight out of ten people living in rural areas still lack even basic drinking water services. A lack of access to safe water is considered one of the top risks based on impact to global societies.

Data show the share of the population having access to drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene by service type. Based on the WHO/UNICEF JMP, For drinking water, the service levels were ranked as safely managed, basic, limited, unimproved, and surface water. For sanitation, the service levels were classified as safely managed, basic, limited, unimproved, and open defecation. For hygiene referring to handwashing, the service levels were categorized as basic, limited, and no facility.

China % of Population with Access to Water: City data was reported at 99.433 % in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 99.387 % for 2022. China % of Population with Access to Water: City data is updated yearly, averaging 96.120 % from Dec 1985 (Median) to 2023, with 31 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 99.433 % in 2023 and a record low of 63.900 % in 2000. China % of Population with Access to Water: City data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Utility Sector – Table CN.RCA: Percentage of Population with Access to Water.

Brazil: Percent rural population with access to drinking water: The latest value from 2022 is 76 percent, an increase from 74.8 percent in 2021. In comparison, the world average is 45.0 percent, based on data from 73 countries. Historically, the average for Brazil from 2000 to 2022 is 59.3 percent. The minimum value, 47 percent, was reached in 2000 while the maximum of 76 percent was recorded in 2022.

Palestine: Percent rural population with access to drinking water: The latest value from 2022 is 76.4 percent, an increase from 76 percent in 2021. In comparison, the world average is 45.0 percent, based on data from 73 countries. Historically, the average for Palestine from 2000 to 2022 is 72 percent. The minimum value, 67.5 percent, was reached in 2000 while the maximum of 76.4 percent was recorded in 2022.

Section 3

Survey instrument:

Section 2

Description and codebook for subset of harmonized variables:

Section 5

Survey instrument:

Section 11

Survey instrument:

Section 8

Survey instrument:

Section 15

Survey instrument:

Section 9

Survey instrument:

Section 4

Survey instrument:

Section 6

Survey instrument:

Section 13

Survey instrument:

Section 14

Survey instrument:

Documentation

Full Project Name: Happiness on Tap: Piped Water Adoption in Urban Morocco

PIs: Florencia Devoto, Esther Duflo, Pascaline Dupas, William Parienté, Vincent Pons

Unique ID: 93

Location: Tangiers, Morocco

Sample: 1,000 home owners in urban areas

Timeline: 2007 - 2008

Target Group: Urban population

Outcome of Interest: Citizen satisfaction, Diarrhea

Guide to Datasets:

Published Papers:

More Information: https://www.povertyactionlab.org/evaluation/household-water-connections-tangier-morocco

Section 10

Survey instrument:

Section 12

This dataset was created on 2021-10-06 18:54:24.290 by merging multiple datasets together. The source datasets for this version were:

Morocco Water Access:

Morocco Water Access Household Distance to Tap: distances_price_zones_anl : Contains information about the distance to the closest public tap and the pricing schedule for the BSI connection

Morocco Water Access Endline Household, Part 1: endline_ACD_hhid_anl : household survey data at endline from section A, C, and D in the survey instrument

Morocco Water Access Household Treatment Spillover: spillovers_anl : Contains information about the share of treatment households within 20 or 50 meters radius. Also contains information about whether households had gotten connected to the grid by August 2009

Morocco Water Access Baseline Illness Diary: suivimaladies_decembre07_corr_anl : illness diary data from December 2007

Morocco Water Access Baseline Household: baseline_menage_hhid_anl : baseline household survey

Morocco Water Access Endline Household, Part 2: endline_BDEFKLM_hhid_anl : household data at endline from survey sections B, D, E, F, K, L, and M

Section 7

This dataset was created on 2021-10-06 18:53:18.211 by merging multiple datasets together. The source datasets for this version were:

Morocco Water Access Baseline Age-Gender Reference: sexe_age_ref_anl : reference dataset for sex and age of each household member at baseline

Morocco Water Access Endline Education: education_endline_anl : data on whether children in household were registered for school at endline

Morocco Water Access Endline School Diary: scolarisation_endline_anl : children's school diary data at endline

Morocco Water Access Endline Illness Diary: suivimaladies_novembre08_corr_anl : illness diary data from endline November 2008

Section 16

This dataset was created on 2021-10-06 20:34:05.138 by merging multiple datasets together. The source datasets for this version were:

Morocco Water Access Baseline Household Roster: baseline_roster_hhid_anl : household roster from baseline survey

Morocco Water Access:

Morocco Water Access Endline Presence of E. Coli: endline_colis_anl : presence of e. coli in household water supply at endline

Morocco Water Access Treatment/ Control Groups: groupe_connexion_anl : Dataset with information about who is treatment and who is control, and whether those in the treatment groups got connected to the grid, and if so the date of the connection

Morocco Water Access Baseline School Diary: scolarisation_baseline_anl : children's school diary data at baseline

Morocco Water Access Midline 1 Illness Diary: suivimaladies_mai08_corr_anl : illness diary data from first followup after baseline in May 2008

Morocco Water Access Midline 2 Illness Diary: suivimaladies_aout08_corr_anl : illness diary data from second followup in August 2008

Benin BJ: Improved Water Source: % of Population with Access data was reported at 77.900 % in 2015. This records an increase from the previous number of 77.800 % for 2014. Benin BJ: Improved Water Source: % of Population with Access data is updated yearly, averaging 68.150 % from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2015, with 26 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 77.900 % in 2015 and a record low of 57.100 % in 1990. Benin BJ: Improved Water Source: % of Population with Access data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Benin – Table BJ.World Bank.WDI: Social: Health Statistics. Access to an improved water source refers to the percentage of the population using an improved drinking water source. The improved drinking water source includes piped water on premises (piped household water connection located inside the user’s dwelling, plot or yard), and other improved drinking water sources (public taps or standpipes, tube wells or boreholes, protected dug wells, protected springs, and rainwater collection).; ; WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply and Sanitation (http://www.wssinfo.org/).; Weighted average;

Ukraine: Percent urban population with access to drinking water: The latest value from 2022 is 88.3 percent, unchanged from 88.3 percent in 2021. In comparison, the world average is 69.9 percent, based on data from 93 countries. Historically, the average for Ukraine from 2000 to 2022 is 90.9 percent. The minimum value, 88.3 percent, was reached in 2020 while the maximum of 94.9 percent was recorded in 2000.

Differences in numeric measures between water sources (Kruskall-Wallis test).

This data is a visualization of estimated residences served by an improved water source in Appalachia Ohio using H3 hexagons at resolution 08, based on the results of the Appalachia Ohio Drinking Water Accessibility Initiative Summary Report prepared by Ohio University Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service in 2022. Affected residences were estimated using publicly available Location Based Response System (LBRS) address points, filtered for residential structures. Use of the H3 hexagons allowed allowed for visualization of percentage of residences with water access, as well as areas without residences.Data Notes: Tuscarawas and Mahoning counties did not include structure type in their LBRS data and could not be filtered for residential structures.As LBRS data is self-reported by each county, the age of the address point data variedLearn more about LBRS here: https://das.ohio.gov/technology-and-strategy/ogrip/projects/lbrsLearn more about H3 Hexagons here: https://www.esri.com/arcgis-blog/products/bus-analyst/analytics/hexagons-guide-basics/Read the Appalachia Ohio Drinking Water Accessibility Initiative Summary Report here: https://www.mayorspartnership.org/drinking-water-report

Historical dataset showing U.K. clean water access by year from 2000 to 2022.

Japan JP: Population with Access to Improved Drinking Water Sources: % of Total Population data was reported at 98.660 % in 2022. This stayed constant from the previous number of 98.660 % for 2021. Japan JP: Population with Access to Improved Drinking Water Sources: % of Total Population data is updated yearly, averaging 98.190 % from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2022, with 23 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 98.660 % in 2022 and a record low of 97.850 % in 2004. Japan JP: Population with Access to Improved Drinking Water Sources: % of Total Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Japan – Table JP.OECD.GGI: Social: Access to Services: OECD Member: Annual.

Data set contains sensitive PII and cannot be released publicly. This dataset is not publicly accessible because: EPA cannot release personally identifiable information regarding living individuals, according to the Privacy Act and the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). This dataset contains information about human research subjects. Because there is potential to identify individual participants and disclose personal information, either alone or in combination with other datasets, individual level data are not appropriate to post for public access. Restricted access may be granted to authorized persons by contacting the party listed. It can be accessed through the following means: contact Tim Wade (wade.tim@epa.gov). Format: Data include personally identifiable information collected from living individuals. This dataset is associated with the following publication: Wade, T., A. Cohen, M. Raseduzzaman, B. O'Connell, T. Brown, T. Mami, L. Krometis, A. Hubbard, P. Scheuerman, M. Edwards, A. Darling, B. Pennala, S. Price, B. Lytton, E. Whettstone, S. Pholwat, S. Griffin, J. Kobylanski, and A. Egorov. Drinking Water Sources, Quality, and Associated Health Outcomes in Appalachian Virginia: A Risk Characterization Study in Two Counties. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH. BioMed Central Ltd, London, UK, 260: 114390, (2024).

Comparison of participant characteristics (Fisher’s Exact test).

The SWDA Inequalities Dataset consist on results of Safe Drinking Water Access - SDWA indicators and inequalities indexes obtained by an adapted Lorenz Curve approach calculated for all Brazilian municipalities.The main datasource is the Brazillian 2010 Demographic Census, which is the last Population Census data publicaly available. The SDWA indicators are weighted by the SDWA values corresponding to census tracts considering permanent private household residents (Eq. 2). The safe drinking water sources are: (i) general water distribution network; (ii) well or spring located on the property; (iii) rainwater stored in a cistern, cement box, etc.; (iv) or well or spring outside the property, tank car, rainwater stored otherwise, river, dam, lake or stream, or another form of water supply. Considering that these drinking water sources differ in terms of accessibility, availability and water quality, the AHP Method was applied to obtain different weights for each form of water access (Eq. 1).

The Gini Index (G_water), Concentration Coefficient (C_water) and Dissimilarity Index (D_water), were adapted to analyze inequalities in SDWA. The Safe Drinking Water Concentration Index is obtained from the Lorenz Curve, with the percentage of residents in permanent households accumulated and ordered by per capita income in the abscissa of the graph (Eq. 3). The per capita income is obtained by the ratio between the total nominal monthly income and the number of residents of the permanent households of each census tract. The Safe Drinking Water Gini Index was similarly adapted, with the residents accumulated and ordered by the safe drinking water rate in the abscissa of the graph (Eq. 4). The ratios between Upper and Lower Quintiles (R_8020) were obtained for each municipality, that is, the relationship between the rates of SDWA for permanent private households that represent 20% of the residents with the highest average per capita income (4th quintile represented by Q4) and the most economically unfavorable 20% (1st quintile represented by Q1) (Eq. 5). The Safe Drinking Water Dissimilarity Index is calculated by the weighted average of the absolute difference of the SDWA indicator of each quintile of the average per capita income and the average rate (Eq. 6). The inequalities indexes are also presented as normalized values (G_water_norm, C_water_norm, R_8020_norm, D_water_norm).

(t_{water} = 0.376*t_{piped} + 0.309*t_{well} + 0.274*t_{cistern} + 0.041*t_{others} \;\;\;\;\;\;\;\;\;\; (Eq. 1) )

(0.041 \leq t_{water} \leq 0.368)

(t_{piped} + t_{well} + t_{cistern} + t_{others} = 1)

t is the relationship between residents in permanent private households with access (piped, well, cistern and/or other) and the total number of residents in permanent private households.

(SDWA = \frac{\sum_{i=1}^{n} (t_{water_{norm_i}}*p_i)}{\sum_{i=1}^{n}(p_i)} \;\;\;\;\;\;\;\;\;\; (Eq. 2))

considering the percentage of residents in permanent private households of each sector (pi) and the number of census tracts (n).

(C_{water} = (p_{r_i}*t_{water_{norm_{i+1}}} - p_{r_{i+1}}*t_{water_{norm_{i}}}) + ... + (p_{r_{i-1}}*t_{water_{norm_{i}}} - p_{r_i}*t_{water_{norm_{i-1}}}) \;\;\;\;\;\;\;\;\;\; (Eq. 3))

where (p_{r_i}) stand for a percentage of residents in permanent private households ordered by average income per capita, with Cwater ranging between -1 and 1.

(G_{water} = 1 - {\sum_{i=1}^{n}(p_{w_i}-p_{w_{i-1}})*(t_{water_{norm_i}} + t_{water_{norm_{i-1}}}}) \;\;\;\;\;\;\;\;\;\; (Eq. 4))

where (p_{w_i}) is the percentage of residents in permanent private households ordered by the weighted water access rate ( (t_{water_{norm}})), and Gwater ranging between 0 and 1.

(R_{80/20} = \frac{t_{water_{norm_{Q_4}}}}{t_{water_{norm_{Q_1}}}} \;\;\;\;\;\;\;\;\;\; (Eq. 5))

with R80/20 ranging between 0 and ∞.

(D_{water} = \frac{1}{2\overline t_{water_{norm}}} \times \sum_{i=1}^{n}\beta_i |t_{water_{norm_i}} - \overline t_{water_{norm}}| { \sum \beta_i = 1 \;\;\;\;\;\;\;\;\;\; (Eq. 6))

with βi standing for the proportion of group i in the sample, (\overline t_{water_{norm}}) the normalized mean safe drinking water access rate of the municipality, (t_{water_{norm_i}}) the normalized safe drinking water access rate of group i, with a value between 0 and 1; and n the number of groups (n= 5); with Dwater presenting values between 0 and 1.

United States US: Improved Water Source: % of Population with Access data was reported at 99.200 % in 2015. This stayed constant from the previous number of 99.200 % for 2014. United States US: Improved Water Source: % of Population with Access data is updated yearly, averaging 98.900 % from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2015, with 26 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 99.200 % in 2015 and a record low of 98.400 % in 1991. United States US: Improved Water Source: % of Population with Access data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.World Bank.WDI: Health Statistics. Access to an improved water source refers to the percentage of the population using an improved drinking water source. The improved drinking water source includes piped water on premises (piped household water connection located inside the user’s dwelling, plot or yard), and other improved drinking water sources (public taps or standpipes, tube wells or boreholes, protected dug wells, protected springs, and rainwater collection).; ; WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply and Sanitation (http://www.wssinfo.org/).; Weighted average;