China vs India: Drinking water usage in urban areas

China

1.30 million people

in 2024

India

858,136 people

in 2024

China rank

1st

India rank

3rd

Drinking water usage in urban areas over time

China currently reports 1.30 million people against 858,136 people in India, a difference of 437,034 people.

That makes China's figure about 1.5 times India's.

Across all 25 years both countries report, China has been ahead every year.

China ranks 1st and India ranks 3rd of 188 countries.

Indicator: Drinking water usage in urban areas
Unit: people
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 188 places, 4,613 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

Number of people using drinking water directly collected from surface waters.