Ethiopia vs Kenya: People not using improved drinking water sources
Ethiopia
22.06 million people
in 2024
Kenya
14.46 million people
in 2024
Ethiopia rank
5th
Kenya rank
7th
People not using improved drinking water sources over time
- Ethiopia
- Kenya
How they compare
Ethiopia currently reports 22.06 million people against 14.46 million people in Kenya, a difference of 7.59 million people.
That makes Ethiopia's figure about 1.5 times Kenya's.
Across all 25 years both countries report, Ethiopia has been ahead every year.
Ethiopia ranks 5th and Kenya ranks 7th of 231 countries.
Ethiopia has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Ethiopia | Kenya | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 48.40 million people | 15.31 million people | 33.09 million people | Ethiopia |
| 2010s | 39.18 million people | 15.80 million people | 23.38 million people | Ethiopia |
| 2020s | 26.41 million people | 14.85 million people | 11.57 million people | Ethiopia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher people not using improved drinking water sources, Ethiopia or Kenya?
- Ethiopia, at 22.06 million people against 14.46 million people in Kenya as of 2024.
- What is the difference in people not using improved drinking water sources between Ethiopia and Kenya?
- 7.59 million people, with Ethiopia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Ethiopia and Kenya?
- 25 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2024.
- How do Ethiopia and Kenya rank globally for people not using improved drinking water sources?
- Ethiopia ranks 5th and Kenya ranks 7th 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.