Iran vs Saudi Arabia: Share of population not using improved drinking water sources

Iran
0.3%
in 2024
Saudi Arabia
0.3%
in 2024
Iran rank
150th
Saudi Arabia rank
148th

Share of population not using improved drinking water sources over time

  • Iran
  • Saudi Arabia
01234200020122024

How they compare

Saudi Arabia currently reports 0.3% against 0.3% in Iran, a difference of 0.0%.

That makes Saudi Arabia's figure about 1.1 times Iran's.

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

Iran ranks 150th and Saudi Arabia ranks 148th of 231 countries.

Iran has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Iran Saudi Arabia Difference Ahead
2000s 2.8% 0.3% 2.5% Iran
2010s 1.3% 0.3% 1.0% Iran
2020s 0.5% 0.3% 0.2% Iran

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher share of population not using improved drinking water sources, Iran or Saudi Arabia?
Saudi Arabia, at 0.3% against 0.3% in Iran as of 2024.
What is the difference in share of population not using improved drinking water sources between Iran and Saudi Arabia?
0.0%, with Saudi Arabia ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Iran and Saudi Arabia?
25 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2024.
How do Iran and Saudi Arabia rank globally for share of population not using improved drinking water sources?
Iran ranks 150th and Saudi Arabia ranks 148th 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 not using improved drinking water sources. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Share of population not using improved drinking water sources
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 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.