China vs Democratic Republic of Congo: People in rural areas not using an improved water source
China
30.67 million people
in 2024
Democratic Republic of Congo
38.51 million people
in 2024
China rank
2nd
Democratic Republic of Congo rank
1st
People in rural areas not using an improved water source over time
- China
- Democratic Republic of Congo
How they compare
Democratic Republic of Congo currently reports 38.51 million people against 30.67 million people in China, a difference of 7.84 million people.
That makes Democratic Republic of Congo's figure about 1.3 times China's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 25 shared years of data; in 2000 it was China ahead.
China ranks 2nd and Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 1st of 178 countries.
China has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | Democratic Republic of Congo | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 196.01 million people | 26.42 million people | 169.60 million people | China |
| 2010s | 96.70 million people | 32.12 million people | 64.58 million people | China |
| 2020s | 39.41 million people | 37.03 million people | 2.37 million people | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher people in rural areas not using an improved water source, China or Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Democratic Republic of Congo, at 38.51 million people against 30.67 million people in China as of 2024.
- What is the difference in people in rural areas not using an improved water source between China and Democratic Republic of Congo?
- 7.84 million people, with Democratic Republic of Congo ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and Democratic Republic of Congo?
- 25 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2024.
- How do China and Democratic Republic of Congo rank globally for people in rural areas not using an improved water source?
- China ranks 2nd and Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 1st 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 People in rural areas not using an improved water source. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Number of people not using improved drinking water sources. These people might use surface water sources or unprotected springs or wells, as no safe and reliable improved drinking water source is available to them.