People using improved drinking water sources in South Africa
South Africa: People using improved drinking water sources was 721,120 people in 2024. ▼ Falling
People using improved drinking water sources in South Africa, 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
South Africa recorded 721,120 people for people using improved drinking water sources in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 7.1% on the previous year and down 42.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, people using improved drinking water sources in South Africa peaked at 1.99 million people in 2000 and was at its lowest, 721,120 people, in 2024.
That places South Africa 51st out of 231 countries with data for 2024, putting it 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 South Africa, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 1.99 million people | — |
| 2001 | 1.94 million people | -2.8% |
| 2002 | 1.88 million people | -2.9% |
| 2003 | 1.83 million people | -2.9% |
| 2004 | 1.77 million people | -3.0% |
| 2005 | 1.72 million people | -3.1% |
| 2006 | 1.66 million people | -3.2% |
| 2007 | 1.61 million people | -3.3% |
| 2008 | 1.55 million people | -3.3% |
| 2009 | 1.50 million people | -3.4% |
| 2010 | 1.45 million people | -3.5% |
| 2011 | 1.40 million people | -3.6% |
| 2012 | 1.35 million people | -3.5% |
| 2013 | 1.30 million people | -3.5% |
| 2014 | 1.25 million people | -3.7% |
| 2015 | 1.21 million people | -3.5% |
| 2016 | 1.15 million people | -4.8% |
| 2017 | 1.09 million people | -5.3% |
| 2018 | 1.04 million people | -4.5% |
| 2019 | 988,181 people | -4.8% |
| 2020 | 937,105 people | -5.2% |
| 2021 | 884,836 people | -5.6% |
| 2022 | 831,126 people | -6.1% |
| 2023 | 776,482 people | -6.6% |
| 2024 | 721,120 people | -7.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1.74 million people | 1.50 million people | 1.99 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.22 million people | 988,181 people | 1.45 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 830,134 people | 721,120 people | 937,105 people | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More environment data for South Africa
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 5.46 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 8.52 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.275 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.05 °C (2025)
- Industrial roundwood — Import quantity, per unit of GDP 0 m3 per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Industrial roundwood — Import quantity, per capita 0.0006 m3 per person (2024)
- Industrial roundwood — Import value, per unit of GDP 0 1000 USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Industrial roundwood — Import value, per capita 0.0001 1000 USD per person (2024)
- Industrial roundwood — Export quantity, annual growth rate -13.95 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is people using improved drinking water sources in South Africa?
- People using improved drinking water sources in South Africa was 721,120 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 South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 1.99 million people in 2000.
- What is the lowest people using improved drinking water sources recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 721,120 people in 2024.
- How does South Africa rank for people using improved drinking water sources?
- South Africa ranks 51st out of 231 countries with data for 2024.
- Is people using improved drinking water sources rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 42.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa 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.
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 only unimproved drinking water sources.