Nigeria vs Pakistan: People using at least a basic drinking water source

Nigeria
191.38 million people
in 2024
Pakistan
227.88 million people
in 2024
Nigeria rank
7th
Pakistan rank
5th

People using at least a basic drinking water source over time

  • Nigeria
  • Pakistan
50.0M100.0M150.0M200.0M250.0M200020122024

How they compare

Pakistan currently reports 227.88 million people against 191.38 million people in Nigeria, a difference of 36.51 million people.

That makes Pakistan's figure about 1.2 times Nigeria's.

Across all 25 years both countries report, Pakistan has been ahead every year.

Nigeria ranks 7th and Pakistan ranks 5th of 231 countries.

Pakistan has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Nigeria Pakistan Difference Ahead
2000s 74.14 million people 153.22 million people 79.08 million people Pakistan
2010s 127.32 million people 192.93 million people 65.61 million people Pakistan
2020s 177.33 million people 220.49 million people 43.16 million people Pakistan

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher people using at least a basic drinking water source, Nigeria or Pakistan?
Pakistan, at 227.88 million people against 191.38 million people in Nigeria as of 2024.
What is the difference in people using at least a basic drinking water source between Nigeria and Pakistan?
36.51 million people, with Pakistan ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Nigeria and Pakistan?
25 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2024.
How do Nigeria and Pakistan rank globally for people using at least a basic drinking water source?
Nigeria ranks 7th and Pakistan ranks 5th 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.