People using improved drinking water sources in Nepal
Nepal: People using improved drinking water sources was 709,243 people in 2024. ▼ Falling
People using improved drinking water sources in Nepal, 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, people using improved drinking water sources in Nepal stood at 709,243 people. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
The figure is down 17.4% on the previous year and down 66.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, people using improved drinking water sources in Nepal peaked at 3.83 million people in 2000 and was at its lowest, 709,243 people, in 2024.
Nepal ranks 52nd of 231 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
People using improved drinking water sources in Nepal, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 3.83 million people | — |
| 2001 | 3.74 million people | -2.4% |
| 2002 | 3.65 million people | -2.4% |
| 2003 | 3.55 million people | -2.7% |
| 2004 | 3.44 million people | -3.0% |
| 2005 | 3.33 million people | -3.3% |
| 2006 | 3.21 million people | -3.6% |
| 2007 | 3.08 million people | -3.9% |
| 2008 | 2.95 million people | -4.2% |
| 2009 | 2.82 million people | -4.5% |
| 2010 | 2.68 million people | -4.8% |
| 2011 | 2.54 million people | -5.3% |
| 2012 | 2.40 million people | -5.7% |
| 2013 | 2.25 million people | -6.1% |
| 2014 | 2.11 million people | -6.4% |
| 2015 | 1.97 million people | -6.6% |
| 2016 | 1.83 million people | -7.2% |
| 2017 | 1.68 million people | -8.0% |
| 2018 | 1.54 million people | -8.6% |
| 2019 | 1.40 million people | -8.5% |
| 2020 | 1.28 million people | -8.8% |
| 2021 | 1.15 million people | -10.1% |
| 2022 | 1.01 million people | -12.3% |
| 2023 | 858,635 people | -14.9% |
| 2024 | 709,243 people | -17.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 3.36 million people | 2.82 million people | 3.83 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.04 million people | 1.40 million people | 2.68 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.00 million people | 709,243 people | 1.28 million people | 5 |
Countries ranked near Nepal
More environment data for Nepal
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 2.73 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 2.41 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.265 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.43 °C (2025)
- Wood-based panels — Import quantity, annual growth rate -42.76 % change on previous year (2024)
- Wood-based panels — Import quantity, per unit of GDP 0 m3 per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Wood-based panels — Import quantity, per capita 0.0006 m3 per person (2024)
- Wood-based panels — Import value, annual growth rate -10.42 % change on previous year (2024)
- Wood-based panels — Import value, per unit of GDP 0 1000 USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is people using improved drinking water sources in Nepal?
- People using improved drinking water sources in Nepal was 709,243 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 people using improved drinking water sources recorded in Nepal?
- The highest recorded value was 3.83 million people in 2000.
- What is the lowest people using improved drinking water sources recorded in Nepal?
- The lowest recorded value was 709,243 people in 2024.
- How does Nepal rank for people using improved drinking water sources?
- Nepal ranks 52nd out of 231 countries with data for 2024.
- Is people using improved drinking water sources rising or falling in Nepal?
- Over the last ten years it is down 66.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Nepal 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 People using improved drinking water sources. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of people using only unimproved drinking water sources.