What is the difference in people using improved drinking water sources between Rwanda and Sierra Leone?

115,410 people, with Sierra Leone ahead.

How many years of comparable data are there for Rwanda and Sierra Leone?

25 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2024.

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.

Rwanda vs Sierra Leone: People using improved drinking water sources

Rwanda

1.25 million people

in 2024

Sierra Leone

1.36 million people

in 2024

Rwanda rank

44th

Sierra Leone rank

41st

People using improved drinking water sources over time

Rwanda
Sierra Leone

How they compare

Sierra Leone currently reports 1.36 million people against 1.25 million people in Rwanda, a difference of 115,410 people.

That makes Sierra Leone's figure about 1.1 times Rwanda's.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 25 shared years of data; in 2000 it was Rwanda ahead.

Rwanda ranks 44th and Sierra Leone ranks 41st of 231 countries.

Across the 3 decades both report, Rwanda averaged higher in 2 and Sierra Leone in 1.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Rwanda	Sierra Leone	Difference	Ahead
2000s	1.49 million people	866,487 people	624,320 people	Rwanda
2010s	1.44 million people	1.13 million people	318,099 people	Rwanda
2020s	1.30 million people	1.31 million people	10,142 people	Sierra Leone

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher people using improved drinking water sources, Rwanda or Sierra Leone?: Sierra Leone, at 1.36 million people against 1.25 million people in Rwanda as of 2024.
What is the difference in people using improved drinking water sources between Rwanda and Sierra Leone?: 115,410 people, with Sierra Leone ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Rwanda and Sierra Leone?: 25 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2024.
How do Rwanda and Sierra Leone rank globally for people using improved drinking water sources?: Rwanda ranks 44th and Sierra Leone ranks 41st 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.

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Rwanda vs Sierra Leone: People using improved drinking water sources. Statizoid, drawing on WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 08 September 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/compare/number-of-people-in-the-world-with-and-without-access-to-improved-water-sources/rwanda/sierra-leone/

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<a href="https://environment.statizoid.com/compare/number-of-people-in-the-world-with-and-without-access-to-improved-water-sources/rwanda/sierra-leone/">Rwanda vs Sierra Leone: People using improved drinking water sources</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator: People using improved drinking water sources
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: 231 places, 5,586 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed: 28 August 2026

Number of people using only unimproved drinking water sources.