Drinking water service usage in Nigeria

Nigeria: Drinking water service usage was 29.9% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
29.9%
Change on year
up 1.5%
World rank
143rd
of 163 countries
All-time high
29.9%
in 2024
All-time low
12.6%
in 2000
Years of data
25
2000–2024

Drinking water service usage in Nigeria, 2000–2024

01020302000201220242000: 12.6 %2001: 13 %2002: 13.8 %2003: 14.6 %2004: 15.5 %2005: 16.4 %2006: 17.3 %2007: 18.2 %2008: 19.2 %2009: 20.2 %2010: 21.2 %2011: 22.2 %2012: 23.2 %2013: 23.8 %2014: 24.4 %2015: 24.9 %2016: 25.5 %2017: 26.1 %2018: 26.7 %2019: 27.2 %2020: 27.8 %2021: 28.4 %2022: 28.9 %2023: 29.5 %2024: 29.9 %

Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

Nigeria recorded 29.9% for drinking water service usage in 2024. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.5% on the previous year and up 22.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, drinking water service usage in Nigeria peaked at 29.9% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 12.6%, in 2000.

That places Nigeria 143rd out of 163 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 16.1% 12.6% 20.2% 10
2010s 24.5% 21.2% 27.2% 10
2020s 28.9% 27.8% 29.9% 5

Countries ranked near Nigeria

  1. 140 Afghanistan 30.6% compare
  2. 141 Indonesia 30.5% compare
  3. 142 Cambodia 30.0% compare
  4. 144 Tonga 29.6% compare
  5. 145 Mozambique 27.5% compare
  6. 146 Senegal 27.2% compare

See the full ranking of 163 places →

More environment data for Nigeria

All data for Nigeria →

Frequently asked questions

What is drinking water service usage in Nigeria?
Drinking water service usage in Nigeria was 29.9% 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 Nigeria?
The highest recorded value was 29.9% in 2024.
What is the lowest drinking water service usage recorded in Nigeria?
The lowest recorded value was 12.6% in 2000.
How does Nigeria rank for drinking water service usage?
Nigeria ranks 143rd out of 163 countries with data for 2024.
Is drinking water service usage rising or falling in Nigeria?
Over the last ten years it is up 22.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Nigeria 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

Indicator
Drinking water service usage
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
163 places, 3,991 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed

Proportion of people using an improved drinking water source that is located on premises, available when needed and free from faecal and priority chemical contamination.