Canada vs South Africa: People using improved drinking water sources
Canada
679,492 people
in 2024
South Africa
721,120 people
in 2024
Canada rank
54th
South Africa rank
51st
People using improved drinking water sources over time
- Canada
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 721,120 people against 679,492 people in Canada, a difference of 41,628 people.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.1 times Canada's.
Across all 25 years both countries report, South Africa has been ahead every year.
Canada ranks 54th and South Africa ranks 51st of 231 countries.
South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Canada | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 174,503 people | 1.74 million people | 1.57 million people | South Africa |
| 2010s | 408,539 people | 1.22 million people | 812,103 people | South Africa |
| 2020s | 633,521 people | 830,134 people | 196,613 people | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher people using improved drinking water sources, Canada or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 721,120 people against 679,492 people in Canada as of 2024.
- What is the difference in people using improved drinking water sources between Canada and South Africa?
- 41,628 people, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Canada and South Africa?
- 25 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2024.
- How do Canada and South Africa rank globally for people using improved drinking water sources?
- Canada ranks 54th and South Africa ranks 51st of 231 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 People using improved drinking water sources. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Number of people using only unimproved drinking water sources.