People using safely managed drinking water services, urban (% of urban population) - Country Ranking

Definition: The percentage of people using drinking water from an improved source that is accessible on premises, available when needed and free from faecal and priority chemical contamination. Improved water sources include piped water, boreholes or tubewells, protected dug wells, protected springs, and packaged or delivered water.

Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (washdata.org).

See also: Thematic map, Time series comparison

Find indicator:
Rank Country Value Year
1 Monaco 100.00 2020
1 Hong Kong SAR, China 100.00 2020
1 Macao SAR, China 100.00 2020
1 Singapore 100.00 2020
5 Spain 99.80 2020
6 Luxembourg 99.73 2020
7 France 99.64 2020
8 Israel 99.34 2020
9 Lithuania 99.32 2020
10 Australia 98.96 2020
11 Chile 98.77 2020
12 Czech Republic 97.96 2020
13 United States 97.47 2020
14 Turkmenistan 97.08 2020
15 Portugal 96.79 2020
16 Azerbaijan 96.25 2020
17 Palau 96.24 2020
18 Iran 96.15 2020
19 China 95.04 2020
20 Romania 94.95 2020
21 Uruguay 94.59 2020
22 Hungary 93.99 2020
23 Croatia 93.50 2020
24 Sri Lanka 93.33 2020
25 Kyrgyz Republic 91.85 2020
26 Morocco 90.72 2020
27 Eswatini 88.72 2020
28 Ukraine 88.70 2020
29 Brazil 87.84 2020
30 Montenegro 87.32 2020
31 Uzbekistan 86.12 2020
32 North Macedonia 84.57 2020
33 Georgia 84.11 2020
34 Tunisia 83.92 2020
35 Botswana 83.07 2020
36 Serbia 81.52 2020
37 South Africa 81.06 2020
38 Colombia 80.49 2020
39 Costa Rica 80.39 2020
40 Lesotho 77.74 2020
41 El Salvador 77.45 2020
42 Dem. People's Rep. Korea 76.96 2020
43 Ecuador 74.65 2020
44 Myanmar 73.77 2020
45 Algeria 73.69 2020
46 Paraguay 72.21 2020
47 Nicaragua 67.30 2020
48 The Gambia 66.90 2020
49 Guatemala 65.41 2020
50 Iraq 64.60 2020
51 Zimbabwe 64.58 2020
52 Suriname 63.41 2020
53 Philippines 61.80 2020
54 Ghana 60.25 2020
55 Peru 59.35 2020
56 Congo 58.63 2020
57 Kenya 57.70 2020
58 Cambodia 57.10 2020
59 Vanuatu 56.58 2020
60 Côte d'Ivoire 54.47 2020
61 Bangladesh 52.78 2020
62 Tonga 50.80 2020
63 Zambia 50.49 2020
64 Tuvalu 50.00 2020
65 Bhutan 48.98 2020
66 Rwanda 45.54 2020
67 Uganda 42.80 2020
68 Guinea-Bissau 40.93 2020
69 Dem. Rep. Congo 40.42 2020
70 Pakistan 40.16 2020
71 São Tomé and Principe 40.11 2020
72 Ethiopia 39.04 2020
73 Mongolia 38.59 2020
74 Madagascar 38.19 2020
75 Togo 36.77 2020
76 Afghanistan 36.38 2020
77 Lao PDR 26.99 2020
78 Nigeria 25.39 2020
79 Nepal 24.67 2020
80 Kiribati 21.11 2020
81 Chad 17.38 2020
82 Sierra Leone 12.52 2020
83 Central African Republic 11.52 2020

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Development Relevance: Water is considered to be the most important resource for sustaining ecosystems, which provide life-supporting services for people, animals, and plants. Global access to safe water and proper hygiene education can reduce illness and death from disease, leading to improved health, poverty reduction, and socio-economic development. However, many countries are challenged to provide these basic necessities to their populations, leaving people at risk for water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH)-related diseases. Because contaminated water is a major cause of illness and death, water quality is a determining factor in human poverty, education, and economic opportunities. Lack of access to adequate drinking water services contributes to deaths and illness, especially in children. Water based disease transmission by drinking contaminated water is responsible for significant outbreaks of diseases such as cholera and typhoid and includes diarrheal diseases, viral hepatitis A, cholera, dysentery and dracunculiasis (Guineaworm disease). Improving access to clean drinking water is a crucial element in the reduction of under-five mortality and morbidity and there is evidence that ensuring higher levels of drinking water services has a greater impact. Women and children spend millions of hours each year fetching water. The chore diverts their time from other important activities (for example attending school, caring for children, participating in the economy). When water is not available on premises and has to be collected, women and girls are almost two and a half times more likely than men and boys to be the main water carriers for their families. Many international organizations use access to safe drinking water and hygienic sanitation facilities as a measure for progress in the fight against poverty, disease, and death. Access to safe drinking water is also considered to be a human right, not a privilege, for every man, woman, and child. Economic benefits of safe drinking water services include higher economic productivity, more education, and health-care savings.

Limitations and Exceptions: In order to meet the criteria for a safely managed drinking water service, an improved water source should meet three criteria: it should be accessible on the premises (accessibility), water should be available when needed (availability), and the water supplied should be free from contamination (quality). Many countries lack data on one or more elements of safely managed drinking water. The WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (JMP) provide national estimates only when data are available on drinking water quality and at least one of the other criteria (accessibility and availability). Regional and income group estimates are made when data are available for at least 30 percent of the population.

Statistical Concept and Methodology: Data on drinking water, sanitation and hygiene are produced by the Joint Monitoring Programme of the World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) based on administrative sources, national censuses and nationally representative household surveys. WHO/UNICEF defines a safely managed drinking water as an improved water source that is accessible on premises, available when needed and free from faecal and priority chemical contamination. Improved water sources include: piped water, boreholes or tubewells, protected dug wells, protected springs, and packaged or delivered water.

Aggregation method: Weighted average

Periodicity: Annual