Drinking water usage in urban areas in Zambia
Zambia: Drinking water usage in urban areas was 48,160 people in 2024. ▼ Falling
Drinking water usage in urban areas in Zambia, 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 Zambia stood at 48,160 people. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
The figure is down 7.8% on the previous year and down 33.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, drinking water usage in urban areas in Zambia peaked at 74,337 people in 2010 and was at its lowest, 48,160 people, in 2024.
Zambia ranks 30th 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 Zambia, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 68,841 people | — |
| 2001 | 69,114 people | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 69,888 people | +1.1% |
| 2003 | 70,602 people | +1.0% |
| 2004 | 71,283 people | +1.0% |
| 2005 | 71,958 people | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 72,635 people | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 73,260 people | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 73,794 people | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 74,167 people | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 74,337 people | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 74,240 people | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 73,910 people | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 73,368 people | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 72,598 people | -1.0% |
| 2015 | 71,574 people | -1.4% |
| 2016 | 70,294 people | -1.8% |
| 2017 | 68,739 people | -2.2% |
| 2018 | 66,869 people | -2.7% |
| 2019 | 64,676 people | -3.3% |
| 2020 | 62,132 people | -3.9% |
| 2021 | 59,201 people | -4.7% |
| 2022 | 55,889 people | -5.6% |
| 2023 | 52,220 people | -6.6% |
| 2024 | 48,160 people | -7.8% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 48,160 people is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 6,494 people, 7.4× the median. (44 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 48,160 people is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 10,146 people, 4.7× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 71,554 people | 68,841 people | 74,167 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 71,060 people | 64,676 people | 74,337 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 55,520 people | 48,160 people | 62,132 people | 5 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More environment data for Zambia
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -2.98 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -3.03 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.265 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.11 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.74 % 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 3.49 % 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 Zambia?
- Drinking water usage in urban areas in Zambia was 48,160 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 Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 74,337 people in 2010.
- What is the lowest drinking water usage in urban areas recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 48,160 people in 2024.
- How does Zambia rank for drinking water usage in urban areas?
- Zambia ranks 30th out of 188 countries with data for 2024.
- Is drinking water usage in urban areas rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 33.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zambia 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.