Russia vs South Africa: Share of the population using improved water sources
Russia
97.5%
in 2024
South Africa
97.6%
in 2024
Russia rank
142nd
South Africa rank
141st
Share of the population using improved water sources over time
- Russia
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 97.6% against 97.5% in Russia, a difference of 0.1%.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 25 shared years of data; in 2000 it was Russia ahead.
Russia ranks 142nd and South Africa ranks 141st of 231 countries.
Russia has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Russia | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 97.1% | 89.8% | 7.3% | Russia |
| 2010s | 97.3% | 94.2% | 3.0% | Russia |
| 2020s | 97.4% | 97.0% | 0.5% | Russia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of the population using improved water sources, Russia or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 97.6% against 97.5% in Russia as of 2024.
- What is the difference in share of the population using improved water sources between Russia and South Africa?
- 0.1%, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Russia and South Africa?
- 25 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2024.
- How do Russia and South Africa rank globally for share of the population using improved water sources?
- Russia ranks 142nd and South Africa ranks 141st 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 the population using improved water sources. 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, regardless of collection time. An improved drinking water source is a safely designed drinking water source and includes e.g. piped water, boreholes or tubewells and packaged or delivered water.