Drinking water usage in urban areas in Ethiopia

Ethiopia: Drinking water usage in urban areas was 381,373 people in 2024. ▬ Flat

Latest (2024)
381,373 people
Change on year
down 4.8%
World rank
8th
of 188 countries
All-time high
471,722 people
in 2014
All-time low
381,373 people
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

Drinking water usage in urban areas in Ethiopia, 2000–2024

0100.0k200.0k300.0k400.0k500.0k2000201220242000: 415.8k people2001: 421.2k people2002: 426.4k people2003: 431.2k people2004: 435.3k people2005: 438.9k people2006: 441.9k people2007: 444.7k people2008: 451.5k people2009: 457.4k people2010: 462.5k people2011: 466.9k people2012: 470.2k people2013: 471.6k people2014: 471.7k people2015: 470.6k people2016: 468.2k people2017: 464.4k people2018: 458.9k people2019: 451.5k people2020: 442.3k people2021: 430.9k people2022: 417.0k people2023: 400.5k people2024: 381.4k people

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 Ethiopia is 381,373 people, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

That represents a change of down 4.8% on the previous year and down 19.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, drinking water usage in urban areas in Ethiopia peaked at 471,722 people in 2014 and was at its lowest, 381,373 people, in 2024.

That places Ethiopia 8th out of 188 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 436,424 people 415,815 people 457,351 people 10
2010s 465,654 people 451,527 people 471,722 people 10
2020s 414,427 people 381,373 people 442,343 people 5

Countries ranked near Ethiopia

  1. 5 Tanzania 522,756 people compare
  2. 6 Myanmar 452,585 people compare
  3. 7 Democratic Republic of Congo 448,001 people compare
  4. 9 Algeria 311,575 people compare
  5. 10 Pakistan 311,248 people compare
  6. 11 Cote d'Ivoire 251,543 people compare

See the full ranking of 188 places →

More environment data for Ethiopia

All data for Ethiopia →

Frequently asked questions

What is drinking water usage in urban areas in Ethiopia?
Drinking water usage in urban areas in Ethiopia was 381,373 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 Ethiopia?
The highest recorded value was 471,722 people in 2014.
What is the lowest drinking water usage in urban areas recorded in Ethiopia?
The lowest recorded value was 381,373 people in 2024.
How does Ethiopia rank for drinking water usage in urban areas?
Ethiopia ranks 8th out of 188 countries with data for 2024.
Is drinking water usage in urban areas rising or falling in Ethiopia?
Over the last ten years it is down 19.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Ethiopia 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

Indicator
Drinking water usage in urban areas
Unit
people
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
188 places, 4,613 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed

Number of people using drinking water directly collected from surface waters.