El Salvador vs South Africa: Share of population using at least a basic drinking water source

El Salvador
91.6%
in 2024
South Africa
90.2%
in 2024
El Salvador rank
167th
South Africa rank
170th

Share of population using at least a basic drinking water source over time

  • El Salvador
  • South Africa
020406080100200020122024

How they compare

El Salvador currently reports 91.6% against 90.2% in South Africa, a difference of 1.4%.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 25 shared years of data; in 2000 it was South Africa ahead.

El Salvador ranks 167th and South Africa ranks 170th of 231 countries.

Across the 3 decades both report, El Salvador averaged higher in 1 and South Africa in 2.

Head to head by decade

Decade El Salvador South Africa Difference Ahead
2000s 85.8% 88.2% 2.4% South Africa
2010s 85.9% 91.7% 5.8% South Africa
2020s 90.8% 90.7% 0.1% El Salvador

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher share of population using at least a basic drinking water source, El Salvador or South Africa?
El Salvador, at 91.6% against 90.2% in South Africa as of 2024.
What is the difference in share of population using at least a basic drinking water source between El Salvador and South Africa?
1.4%, with El Salvador ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for El Salvador and South Africa?
25 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2024.
How do El Salvador and South Africa rank globally for share of population using at least a basic drinking water source?
El Salvador ranks 167th and South Africa ranks 170th 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 Share of population 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
Share of population using at least a basic drinking water source
Unit
%
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

Proportion of people who use an improved drinking water source, which is either located on their premises, or at a collection point, which takes no more than 30 minutes for a roundtrip.