Drinking water services in rural areas in Botswana
Botswana: Drinking water services in rural areas was 8,191 people in 2024. ▼ Falling
Drinking water services in rural areas in Botswana, 2000–2024
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
In 2024, drinking water services in rural areas in Botswana stood at 8,191 people. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
The figure is down 15.4% on the previous year and down 66.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, drinking water services in rural areas in Botswana peaked at 49,827 people in 2000 and was at its lowest, 8,191 people, in 2024.
That places Botswana 84th out of 178 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Drinking water services in rural areas in Botswana, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 49,827 people | — |
| 2001 | 48,267 people | -3.1% |
| 2002 | 46,947 people | -2.7% |
| 2003 | 45,593 people | -2.9% |
| 2004 | 44,208 people | -3.0% |
| 2005 | 42,817 people | -3.1% |
| 2006 | 41,427 people | -3.2% |
| 2007 | 39,040 people | -5.8% |
| 2008 | 36,708 people | -6.0% |
| 2009 | 34,435 people | -6.2% |
| 2010 | 32,209 people | -6.5% |
| 2011 | 29,980 people | -6.9% |
| 2012 | 28,139 people | -6.1% |
| 2013 | 26,342 people | -6.4% |
| 2014 | 24,550 people | -6.8% |
| 2015 | 22,775 people | -7.2% |
| 2016 | 21,023 people | -7.7% |
| 2017 | 19,299 people | -8.2% |
| 2018 | 17,609 people | -8.8% |
| 2019 | 15,951 people | -9.4% |
| 2020 | 14,329 people | -10.2% |
| 2021 | 12,745 people | -11.1% |
| 2022 | 11,200 people | -12.1% |
| 2023 | 9,684 people | -13.5% |
| 2024 | 8,191 people | -15.4% |
Botswana compared with similar countries
- Botswana's 8,191 people is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 845.16 people, 9.7× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- Botswana's 8,191 people is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 528,044 people, 2% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 42,927 people | 34,435 people | 49,827 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 23,788 people | 15,951 people | 32,209 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 11,230 people | 8,191 people | 14,329 people | 5 |
Countries ranked near Botswana
More environment data for Botswana
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 6.04 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 6.49 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.381 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 0.443 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -4.05 % 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 0.3323 % 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 services in rural areas in Botswana?
- Drinking water services in rural areas in Botswana was 8,191 people 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 services in rural areas recorded in Botswana?
- The highest recorded value was 49,827 people in 2000.
- What is the lowest drinking water services in rural areas recorded in Botswana?
- The lowest recorded value was 8,191 people in 2024.
- How does Botswana rank for drinking water services in rural areas?
- Botswana ranks 84th out of 178 countries with data for 2024.
- Is drinking water services in rural areas rising or falling in Botswana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 66.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Botswana 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 services in rural areas. 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
Number of people using drinking water directly collected from surface waters.