Drinking water service usage in New Zealand
New Zealand: Drinking water service usage was 100.0% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Drinking water service usage in New Zealand, 2000–2024
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
New Zealand recorded 100.0% for drinking water service usage in 2024. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.
That represents a change of up 7.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, drinking water service usage in New Zealand peaked at 100.0% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 84.4%, in 2000.
That places New Zealand 1st out of 163 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
Drinking water service usage in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 84.4% | — |
| 2001 | 84.4% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 84.4% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 84.4% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 84.4% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 84.4% | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 85.4% | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 86.4% | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 87.3% | +1.1% |
| 2009 | 88.3% | +1.1% |
| 2010 | 89.3% | +1.1% |
| 2011 | 90.3% | +1.1% |
| 2012 | 91.3% | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 92.2% | +1.1% |
| 2014 | 93.2% | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 94.2% | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 95.2% | +1.0% |
| 2017 | 96.2% | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 97.1% | +1.0% |
| 2019 | 98.1% | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 99.1% | +1.0% |
| 2021 | 100.0% | +0.9% |
| 2022 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 100.0% is above the median for high income countries, which is 98.7%, 1.0× the median. (68 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 100.0% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 64.6%, 1.5× the median. (28 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 85.4% | 84.4% | 88.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 93.7% | 89.3% | 98.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 99.8% | 99.1% | 100.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
- 1 Bonaire Sint Eustatius and Saba 100.0% compare
- 1 Gibraltar 100.0% compare
- 1 Hong Kong 100.0% compare
- 1 Hungary 100.0% compare
- 1 Iceland 100.0% compare
- 1 Kuwait 100.0% compare
- 1 Liechtenstein 100.0% compare
- 1 Macao 100.0% compare
- 1 Monaco 100.0% compare
- 1 Saint Barthelemy 100.0% compare
- 1 Singapore 100.0% compare
More environment data for New Zealand
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -0.2131 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 1.69 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.379 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.23 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -0.474 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate -0.9337 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is drinking water service usage in New Zealand?
- Drinking water service usage in New Zealand was 100.0% in 2024, according to WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest drinking water service usage recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 100.0% in 2022.
- What is the lowest drinking water service usage recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 84.4% in 2000.
- How does New Zealand rank for drinking water service usage?
- New Zealand ranks 1st out of 163 countries with data for 2024.
- Is drinking water service usage rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Drinking water service usage. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Proportion of people using an improved drinking water source that is located on premises, available when needed and free from fecal and priority chemical contamination.