The proportion of the world's population with access to safely managed drinking water increased from 70 percent to 74 percent between 2015 and 2020. As of 2020, five percent of the world's population only had access to unimproved drinking water services. Unimproved drinking water comes from unprotected dug wells or unprotected springs. Regionally, Sub -Saharan Africa and Oceania had the lowest share of populations with access to at least basic drinking water services.
Distribution of drinking water coverage worldwide in 2015 and 2020, by source*
*SAFELY MANAGED - Drinking water from an improved source that is accessible on premises, available when needed and free from faecal and priority chemical contamination
BASIC - Drinking water from an improved source, provided collection time is not more than 30 minutes for a round trip, including queuing
LIMITED - Drinking water from an improved source, for which collection time exceeds 30 minutes for a round trip, including queuing
UNIMPROVED - Drinking water from an unprotected dug well or unprotected springs
SURFACE WATER - Drinking water directly from a river, dam, lake, pond, stream, canal or irrigation canals.
Profit from the additional features of your individual account
Currently, you are using a shared account. To use individual functions (e.g., mark statistics as favourites, set
statistic alerts) please log in with your personal account.
If you are an admin, please authenticate by logging in again.
Statista Accounts:
Access All Statistics. Starting from $468 / Year
Learn more about how Statista can support your business.
WHO, & UNICEF. (July 1, 2021). Distribution of drinking water coverage worldwide in 2015 and 2020, by source* [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved May 22, 2022, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/746329/drinking-water-global-coverage-by-type/
WHO, und UNICEF. "Distribution of drinking water coverage worldwide in 2015 and 2020, by source*." Chart. July 1, 2021. Statista. Accessed May 22, 2022. https://www.statista.com/statistics/746329/drinking-water-global-coverage-by-type/
WHO, UNICEF. (2021). Distribution of drinking water coverage worldwide in 2015 and 2020, by source*. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: May 22, 2022. https://www.statista.com/statistics/746329/drinking-water-global-coverage-by-type/
WHO, and UNICEF. "Distribution of Drinking Water Coverage Worldwide in 2015 and 2020, by Source*." Statista, Statista Inc., 1 Jul 2021, https://www.statista.com/statistics/746329/drinking-water-global-coverage-by-type/
WHO & UNICEF, Distribution of drinking water coverage worldwide in 2015 and 2020, by source* Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/746329/drinking-water-global-coverage-by-type/ (last visited May 22, 2022)
