China vs North Korea: Using improved water sources: urban vs. rural population
China
97.6%
in 2024
North Korea
97.8%
in 2023
China rank
142nd
North Korea rank
139th
Using improved water sources: urban vs. rural population over time
- China
- North Korea
How they compare
North Korea currently reports 97.8% against 97.6% in China, a difference of 0.2%.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 24 shared years of data; in 2000 it was North Korea ahead.
China ranks 142nd and North Korea ranks 139th of 188 countries.
North Korea has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | North Korea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 98.6% | 99.8% | 1.2% | North Korea |
| 2010s | 98.1% | 98.4% | 0.4% | North Korea |
| 2020s | 97.7% | 97.8% | 0.1% | North Korea |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher using improved water sources: urban vs. rural population, China or North Korea?
- North Korea, at 97.8% against 97.6% in China as of 2023.
- What is the difference in using improved water sources: urban vs. rural population between China and North Korea?
- 0.2%, with North Korea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and North Korea?
- 24 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2023.
- How do China and North Korea rank globally for using improved water sources: urban vs. rural population?
- China ranks 142nd and North Korea ranks 139th of 188 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 Using improved water sources: urban vs. rural population. 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.