China vs Democratic Republic of Congo: People not using improved drinking water sources
China
53.02 million people
in 2024
Democratic Republic of Congo
43.93 million people
in 2024
China rank
1st
Democratic Republic of Congo rank
2nd
People not using improved drinking water sources over time
- China
- Democratic Republic of Congo
How they compare
China currently reports 53.02 million people against 43.93 million people in Democratic Republic of Congo, a difference of 9.09 million people.
That makes China's figure about 1.2 times Democratic Republic of Congo's.
Across all 25 years both countries report, China has been ahead every year.
China ranks 1st and Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 2nd of 231 countries.
China has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | Democratic Republic of Congo | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 203.87 million people | 30.33 million people | 173.54 million people | China |
| 2010s | 111.68 million people | 36.74 million people | 74.94 million people | China |
| 2020s | 60.57 million people | 42.11 million people | 18.46 million people | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher people not using improved drinking water sources, China or Democratic Republic of Congo?
- China, at 53.02 million people against 43.93 million people in Democratic Republic of Congo as of 2024.
- What is the difference in people not using improved drinking water sources between China and Democratic Republic of Congo?
- 9.09 million people, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and Democratic Republic of Congo?
- 25 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2024.
- How do China and Democratic Republic of Congo rank globally for people not using improved drinking water sources?
- China ranks 1st and Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 2nd 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 not 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 not using improved drinking water sources. These people might use surface water sources or unprotected springs or wells, as no safe and reliable improved drinking water source is available to them.