Ethiopia vs India: People not using improved drinking water sources
Ethiopia
22.06 million people
in 2024
India
28.01 million people
in 2024
Ethiopia rank
5th
India rank
4th
People not using improved drinking water sources over time
- Ethiopia
- India
How they compare
India currently reports 28.01 million people against 22.06 million people in Ethiopia, a difference of 5.96 million people.
That makes India's figure about 1.3 times Ethiopia's.
Across all 25 years both countries report, India has been ahead every year.
Ethiopia ranks 5th and India ranks 4th of 231 countries.
India has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Ethiopia | India | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 48.40 million people | 147.43 million people | 99.03 million people | India |
| 2010s | 39.18 million people | 93.31 million people | 54.13 million people | India |
| 2020s | 26.41 million people | 42.54 million people | 16.12 million people | India |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher people not using improved drinking water sources, Ethiopia or India?
- India, at 28.01 million people against 22.06 million people in Ethiopia as of 2024.
- What is the difference in people not using improved drinking water sources between Ethiopia and India?
- 5.96 million people, with India ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Ethiopia and India?
- 25 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2024.
- How do Ethiopia and India rank globally for people not using improved drinking water sources?
- Ethiopia ranks 5th 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) – 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.