Drinking water usage in urban areas in Rwanda
Rwanda: Drinking water usage in urban areas was 57,272 people in 2024. ▼ Falling
Drinking water usage in urban areas in Rwanda, 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 usage in urban areas in Rwanda stood at 57,272 people. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.0% on the previous year and down 18.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, drinking water usage in urban areas in Rwanda peaked at 75,982 people in 2003 and was at its lowest, 57,272 people, in 2024.
Rwanda ranks 28th of 188 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 usage in urban areas in Rwanda, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 69,454 people | — |
| 2001 | 72,430 people | +4.3% |
| 2002 | 75,793 people | +4.6% |
| 2003 | 75,982 people | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 75,896 people | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 75,764 people | -0.2% |
| 2006 | 75,577 people | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 75,315 people | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 74,958 people | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 74,496 people | -0.6% |
| 2010 | 73,911 people | -0.8% |
| 2011 | 73,195 people | -1.0% |
| 2012 | 72,358 people | -1.1% |
| 2013 | 71,438 people | -1.3% |
| 2014 | 70,506 people | -1.3% |
| 2015 | 69,532 people | -1.4% |
| 2016 | 68,500 people | -1.5% |
| 2017 | 67,412 people | -1.6% |
| 2018 | 66,254 people | -1.7% |
| 2019 | 65,011 people | -1.9% |
| 2020 | 63,675 people | -2.1% |
| 2021 | 62,227 people | -2.3% |
| 2022 | 60,688 people | -2.5% |
| 2023 | 59,054 people | -2.7% |
| 2024 | 57,272 people | -3.0% |
Rwanda compared with similar countries
- Rwanda's 57,272 people is above the median for low income countries, which is 16,882 people, 3.4× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Rwanda's 57,272 people is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 10,146 people, 5.6× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 74,566 people | 69,454 people | 75,982 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 69,812 people | 65,011 people | 73,911 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 60,583 people | 57,272 people | 63,675 people | 5 |
Countries ranked near Rwanda
- 25 South Sudan 71,509 people compare
- 26 Benin 61,850 people compare
- 27 Papua New Guinea 57,751 people compare
- 29 Argentina 50,159 people compare
- 30 Zambia 48,160 people compare
- 31 Sierra Leone 41,709 people compare
More environment data for Rwanda
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -5.64 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -5.05 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate -31.63 % change on previous year (2013)
- Standard Deviation 0.268 °C (2013)
- Temperature change 1.35 °C (2013)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.0359 % 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 -1.42 % 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 Rwanda?
- Drinking water usage in urban areas in Rwanda was 57,272 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 Rwanda?
- The highest recorded value was 75,982 people in 2003.
- What is the lowest drinking water usage in urban areas recorded in Rwanda?
- The lowest recorded value was 57,272 people in 2024.
- How does Rwanda rank for drinking water usage in urban areas?
- Rwanda ranks 28th out of 188 countries with data for 2024.
- Is drinking water usage in urban areas rising or falling in Rwanda?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Rwanda 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.