China vs India: People not using improved drinking water sources

China
53.02 million people
in 2024
India
28.01 million people
in 2024
China rank
1st
India rank
4th

People not using improved drinking water sources over time

  • China
  • India
50.0M100.0M150.0M200.0M250.0M200020122024

How they compare

China currently reports 53.02 million people against 28.01 million people in India, a difference of 25.01 million people.

That makes China's figure about 1.9 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.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
People not 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

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.