China vs India: People in rural areas not using an improved water source
China
30.67 million people
in 2024
India
19.16 million people
in 2024
China rank
2nd
India rank
5th
People in rural areas not using an improved water source over time
- China
- India
How they compare
China currently reports 30.67 million people against 19.16 million people in India, a difference of 11.51 million people.
That makes China's figure about 1.6 times India's.
Across all 25 years both countries report, China has been ahead every year.
China ranks 2nd and India ranks 5th of 178 countries.
China has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | India | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 196.01 million people | 131.26 million people | 64.75 million people | China |
| 2010s | 96.70 million people | 79.53 million people | 17.17 million people | China |
| 2020s | 39.41 million people | 32.41 million people | 7.00 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 India?
- China, at 30.67 million people against 19.16 million people in India as of 2024.
- What is the difference in people in rural areas not using an improved water source between China and India?
- 11.51 million people, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and India?
- 25 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2024.
- How do China and India rank globally for people in rural areas not using an improved water source?
- China ranks 2nd and India ranks 5th of 178 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) β 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.