North Korea vs Sri Lanka: Using improved water sources: urban vs. rural population
North Korea
97.8%
in 2023
Sri Lanka
97.9%
in 2024
North Korea rank
139th
Sri Lanka rank
138th
Using improved water sources: urban vs. rural population over time
- North Korea
- Sri Lanka
How they compare
Sri Lanka currently reports 97.9% against 97.8% in North Korea, a difference of 0.1%.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 24 shared years of data; in 2000 it was North Korea ahead.
North Korea ranks 139th and Sri Lanka ranks 138th of 188 countries.
Across the 3 decades both report, North Korea averaged higher in 2 and Sri Lanka in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | North Korea | Sri Lanka | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 99.8% | 97.6% | 2.1% | North Korea |
| 2010s | 98.4% | 97.8% | 0.7% | North Korea |
| 2020s | 97.8% | 97.9% | 0.1% | Sri Lanka |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher using improved water sources: urban vs. rural population, North Korea or Sri Lanka?
- Sri Lanka, at 97.9% against 97.8% in North Korea as of 2024.
- What is the difference in using improved water sources: urban vs. rural population between North Korea and Sri Lanka?
- 0.1%, with Sri Lanka ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for North Korea and Sri Lanka?
- 24 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2023.
- How do North Korea and Sri Lanka rank globally for using improved water sources: urban vs. rural population?
- North Korea ranks 139th and Sri Lanka ranks 138th 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.