Drinking water services in rural areas in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Drinking water services in rural areas was 455,386 people in 2024. ▼ Falling
Drinking water services in rural areas in Sri Lanka, 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 Sri Lanka stood at 455,386 people.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.3% on the previous year and down 14.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, drinking water services in rural areas in Sri Lanka peaked at 621,661 people in 2000 and was at its lowest, 453,937 people, in 2023.
Sri Lanka ranks 43rd of 178 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Drinking water services in rural areas in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 621,661 people | — |
| 2001 | 621,231 people | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 617,305 people | -0.6% |
| 2003 | 611,323 people | -1.0% |
| 2004 | 604,892 people | -1.1% |
| 2005 | 598,108 people | -1.1% |
| 2006 | 591,380 people | -1.1% |
| 2007 | 584,632 people | -1.1% |
| 2008 | 577,633 people | -1.2% |
| 2009 | 570,216 people | -1.3% |
| 2010 | 562,549 people | -1.3% |
| 2011 | 554,935 people | -1.4% |
| 2012 | 547,966 people | -1.3% |
| 2013 | 541,446 people | -1.2% |
| 2014 | 534,588 people | -1.3% |
| 2015 | 527,266 people | -1.4% |
| 2016 | 519,608 people | -1.5% |
| 2017 | 511,561 people | -1.5% |
| 2018 | 502,969 people | -1.7% |
| 2019 | 493,936 people | -1.8% |
| 2020 | 484,513 people | -1.9% |
| 2021 | 474,580 people | -2.1% |
| 2022 | 464,343 people | -2.2% |
| 2023 | 453,937 people | -2.2% |
| 2024 | 455,386 people | +0.3% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 455,386 people is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 845.16 people, 538.8× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 455,386 people is above the median for South Asia, which is 292,746 people, 1.6× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 599,838 people | 570,216 people | 621,661 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 529,682 people | 493,936 people | 562,549 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 466,552 people | 453,937 people | 484,513 people | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More environment data for Sri Lanka
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 5.24 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 5.49 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.207 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 0.849 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 5.63 % 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 1.22 % 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 Sri Lanka?
- Drinking water services in rural areas in Sri Lanka was 455,386 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 Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 621,661 people in 2000.
- What is the lowest drinking water services in rural areas recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 453,937 people in 2023.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for drinking water services in rural areas?
- Sri Lanka ranks 43rd out of 178 countries with data for 2024.
- Is drinking water services in rural areas rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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.