Ethiopia vs Nigeria: People not using improved drinking water sources
Ethiopia
22.06 million people
in 2024
Nigeria
32.13 million people
in 2024
Ethiopia rank
5th
Nigeria rank
3rd
People not using improved drinking water sources over time
- Ethiopia
- Nigeria
How they compare
Nigeria currently reports 32.13 million people against 22.06 million people in Ethiopia, a difference of 10.08 million people.
That makes Nigeria's figure about 1.5 times Ethiopia's.
Across all 25 years both countries report, Nigeria has been ahead every year.
Ethiopia ranks 5th and Nigeria ranks 3rd of 231 countries.
Nigeria has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Ethiopia | Nigeria | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 48.40 million people | 57.27 million people | 8.87 million people | Nigeria |
| 2010s | 39.18 million people | 48.38 million people | 9.21 million people | Nigeria |
| 2020s | 26.41 million people | 36.18 million people | 9.76 million people | Nigeria |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher people not using improved drinking water sources, Ethiopia or Nigeria?
- Nigeria, at 32.13 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 Nigeria?
- 10.08 million people, with Nigeria ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Ethiopia and Nigeria?
- 25 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2024.
- How do Ethiopia and Nigeria rank globally for people not using improved drinking water sources?
- Ethiopia ranks 5th and Nigeria ranks 3rd 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.