Ethiopia vs Iran, Islamic Rep.: People using at least a basic drinking water source

Ethiopia
73.42 million people
in 2024
Iran, Islamic Rep.
89.60 million people
in 2024
Ethiopia rank
18th
Iran, Islamic Rep. rank
15th

People using at least a basic drinking water source over time

  • Ethiopia
  • Iran, Islamic Rep.
20.0M40.0M60.0M80.0M200020122024

How they compare

Iran, Islamic Rep. currently reports 89.60 million people against 73.42 million people in Ethiopia, a difference of 16.18 million people.

That makes Iran, Islamic Rep.'s figure about 1.2 times Ethiopia's.

Across all 25 years both countries report, Iran, Islamic Rep. has been ahead every year.

Ethiopia ranks 18th and Iran, Islamic Rep. ranks 15th of 231 countries.

Iran, Islamic Rep. has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Ethiopia Iran, Islamic Rep. Difference Ahead
2000s 20.12 million people 67.77 million people 47.65 million people Iran, Islamic Rep.
2010s 42.72 million people 79.45 million people 36.73 million people Iran, Islamic Rep.
2020s 66.12 million people 87.45 million people 21.33 million people Iran, Islamic Rep.

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher people using at least a basic drinking water source, Ethiopia or Iran, Islamic Rep.?
Iran, Islamic Rep., at 89.60 million people against 73.42 million people in Ethiopia as of 2024.
What is the difference in people using at least a basic drinking water source between Ethiopia and Iran, Islamic Rep.?
16.18 million people, with Iran, Islamic Rep. ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Ethiopia and Iran, Islamic Rep.?
25 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2024.
How do Ethiopia and Iran, Islamic Rep. rank globally for people using at least a basic drinking water source?
Ethiopia ranks 18th and Iran, Islamic Rep. ranks 15th 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 using at least a basic drinking water source. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
People using at least a basic drinking water source
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 using an improved drinking water source, which is either available on premises, or collection time is no more than 30 minutes for a roundtrip.