China vs India: People using improved drinking water sources
China
51.73 million people
in 2024
India
22.33 million people
in 2024
China rank
1st
India rank
4th
People using improved drinking water sources over time
- China
- India
How they compare
China currently reports 51.73 million people against 22.33 million people in India, a difference of 29.39 million people.
That makes China's figure about 2.3 times India's.
Across all 25 years both countries report, China has been ahead every year.
China ranks 1st and India ranks 4th of 231 countries.
China has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | India | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 175.01 million people | 133.97 million people | 41.03 million people | China |
| 2010s | 101.04 million people | 83.29 million people | 17.75 million people | China |
| 2020s | 59.15 million people | 35.88 million people | 23.27 million people | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher people using improved drinking water sources, China or India?
- China, at 51.73 million people against 22.33 million people in India as of 2024.
- What is the difference in people using improved drinking water sources between China and India?
- 29.39 million people, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and India?
- 25 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2024.
- How do China and India rank globally for people using improved drinking water sources?
- China ranks 1st and India ranks 4th of 231 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) β 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.