Drinking water usage in urban areas in Botswana
Botswana: Drinking water usage in urban areas was 2,188 people in 2024. ▲ Rising
Drinking water usage in urban 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
The most recent figure for drinking water usage in urban areas in Botswana is 2,188 people, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.6% on the previous year and up 18.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, drinking water usage in urban areas in Botswana peaked at 2,188 people in 2024 and was at its lowest, 1,277 people, in 2000.
That places Botswana 59th out of 188 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
Drinking water usage in urban areas in Botswana, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 1,277 people | — |
| 2001 | 1,315 people | +2.9% |
| 2002 | 1,342 people | +2.1% |
| 2003 | 1,368 people | +1.9% |
| 2004 | 1,393 people | +1.9% |
| 2005 | 1,419 people | +1.9% |
| 2006 | 1,447 people | +1.9% |
| 2007 | 1,503 people | +3.9% |
| 2008 | 1,562 people | +3.9% |
| 2009 | 1,622 people | +3.8% |
| 2010 | 1,683 people | +3.8% |
| 2011 | 1,743 people | +3.5% |
| 2012 | 1,783 people | +2.3% |
| 2013 | 1,818 people | +2.0% |
| 2014 | 1,852 people | +1.9% |
| 2015 | 1,886 people | +1.8% |
| 2016 | 1,919 people | +1.8% |
| 2017 | 1,952 people | +1.7% |
| 2018 | 1,985 people | +1.7% |
| 2019 | 2,018 people | +1.6% |
| 2020 | 2,050 people | +1.6% |
| 2021 | 2,083 people | +1.6% |
| 2022 | 2,118 people | +1.7% |
| 2023 | 2,153 people | +1.7% |
| 2024 | 2,188 people | +1.6% |
Botswana compared with similar countries
- Botswana's 2,188 people is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 10,146 people, 22% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1,425 people | 1,277 people | 1,622 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 1,864 people | 1,683 people | 2,018 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 2,118 people | 2,050 people | 2,188 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 usage in urban areas in Botswana?
- Drinking water usage in urban areas in Botswana was 2,188 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 usage in urban areas recorded in Botswana?
- The highest recorded value was 2,188 people in 2024.
- What is the lowest drinking water usage in urban areas recorded in Botswana?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,277 people in 2000.
- How does Botswana rank for drinking water usage in urban areas?
- Botswana ranks 59th out of 188 countries with data for 2024.
- Is drinking water usage in urban areas rising or falling in Botswana?
- Over the last ten years it is up 18.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 usage in urban 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.