Malawi vs Nigeria: Share of the rural population using at least a basic drinking water services
Malawi
70.1%
in 2024
Nigeria
66.6%
in 2024
Malawi rank
139th
Nigeria rank
141st
Share of the rural population using at least a basic drinking water services over time
- Malawi
- Nigeria
How they compare
Malawi currently reports 70.1% against 66.6% in Nigeria, a difference of 3.5%.
That makes Malawi's figure about 1.1 times Nigeria's.
Across all 25 years both countries report, Malawi has been ahead every year.
Malawi ranks 139th and Nigeria ranks 141st of 178 countries.
Malawi has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Malawi | Nigeria | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 52.8% | 37.6% | 15.1% | Malawi |
| 2010s | 61.7% | 52.1% | 9.6% | Malawi |
| 2020s | 68.3% | 63.6% | 4.7% | Malawi |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of the rural population using at least a basic drinking water services, Malawi or Nigeria?
- Malawi, at 70.1% against 66.6% in Nigeria as of 2024.
- What is the difference in share of the rural population using at least a basic drinking water services between Malawi and Nigeria?
- 3.5%, with Malawi ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Malawi and Nigeria?
- 25 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2024.
- How do Malawi and Nigeria rank globally for share of the rural population using at least a basic drinking water services?
- Malawi ranks 139th and Nigeria ranks 141st of 178 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 the rural population using at least a basic drinking water services. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
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.