Sierra Leone vs United States: People not using safely managed drinking water sources
Sierra Leone
7.70 million people
in 2024
United States
8.40 million people
in 2024
Sierra Leone rank
38th
United States rank
37th
People not using safely managed drinking water sources over time
- Sierra Leone
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 8.40 million people against 7.70 million people in Sierra Leone, a difference of 701,410 people.
That makes United States's figure about 1.1 times Sierra Leone's.
Across all 20 years both countries report, United States has been ahead every year.
Sierra Leone ranks 38th and United States ranks 37th of 163 countries.
United States has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Sierra Leone | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 5.39 million people | 13.96 million people | 8.57 million people | United States |
| 2010s | 6.38 million people | 12.00 million people | 5.62 million people | United States |
| 2020s | 7.42 million people | 8.83 million people | 1.41 million people | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher people not using safely managed drinking water sources, Sierra Leone or United States?
- United States, at 8.40 million people against 7.70 million people in Sierra Leone as of 2024.
- What is the difference in people not using safely managed drinking water sources between Sierra Leone and United States?
- 701,410 people, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Sierra Leone and United States?
- 20 years are reported by both, from 2005 to 2024.
- How do Sierra Leone and United States rank globally for people not using safely managed drinking water sources?
- Sierra Leone ranks 38th and United States ranks 37th of 163 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 safely managed drinking water sources. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
People not using safely managed drinking water sources either use unimproved drinking water sources or the improved sources they use are not located on their premises, not available when needed, or not free of contamination.