Afghanistan vs Pakistan: Drinking water services in rural areas
Afghanistan
2.72 million people
in 2024
Pakistan
2.41 million people
in 2024
Afghanistan rank
10th
Pakistan rank
12th
Drinking water services in rural areas over time
- Afghanistan
- Pakistan
How they compare
Afghanistan currently reports 2.72 million people against 2.41 million people in Pakistan, a difference of 306,890 people.
That makes Afghanistan's figure about 1.1 times Pakistan's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 25 shared years of data; in 2000 it was Pakistan ahead.
Afghanistan ranks 10th and Pakistan ranks 12th of 178 countries.
Across the 3 decades both report, Afghanistan averaged higher in 1 and Pakistan in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Afghanistan | Pakistan | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 4.68 million people | 7.27 million people | 2.59 million people | Pakistan |
| 2010s | 4.20 million people | 4.96 million people | 756,736 people | Pakistan |
| 2020s | 3.13 million people | 2.61 million people | 528,788 people | Afghanistan |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher drinking water services in rural areas, Afghanistan or Pakistan?
- Afghanistan, at 2.72 million people against 2.41 million people in Pakistan as of 2024.
- What is the difference in drinking water services in rural areas between Afghanistan and Pakistan?
- 306,890 people, with Afghanistan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Afghanistan and Pakistan?
- 25 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2024.
- How do Afghanistan and Pakistan rank globally for drinking water services in rural areas?
- Afghanistan ranks 10th and Pakistan ranks 12th of 178 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Drinking water services in rural areas. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Number of people using drinking water directly collected from surface waters.