People using improved drinking water sources in Zambia
Zambia: People using improved drinking water sources was 2.98 million people in 2024. ▬ Flat
Latest (2024)
2.98 million people
Change on year
down 1.9%
World rank
22nd
of 231 countries
All-time high
3.34 million people
in 2012
All-time low
2.98 million people
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024
People using improved drinking water sources 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, people using improved drinking water sources in Zambia stood at 2.98 million people. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.9% on the previous year and down 10.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, people using improved drinking water sources in Zambia peaked at 3.34 million people in 2012 and was at its lowest, 2.98 million people, in 2024.
That places Zambia 22nd out of 231 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
People using improved drinking water sources in Zambia, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 3.15 million people | — |
| 2001 | 3.17 million people | +0.8% |
| 2002 | 3.19 million people | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 3.20 million people | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 3.22 million people | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 3.24 million people | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 3.26 million people | +0.7% |
| 2007 | 3.28 million people | +0.7% |
| 2008 | 3.30 million people | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 3.32 million people | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 3.33 million people | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 3.34 million people | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 3.34 million people | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 3.34 million people | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 3.33 million people | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 3.32 million people | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 3.30 million people | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 3.28 million people | -0.6% |
| 2018 | 3.25 million people | -0.8% |
| 2019 | 3.22 million people | -1.0% |
| 2020 | 3.18 million people | -1.2% |
| 2021 | 3.14 million people | -1.4% |
| 2022 | 3.09 million people | -1.6% |
| 2023 | 3.04 million people | -1.7% |
| 2024 | 2.98 million people | -1.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 3.23 million people | 3.15 million people | 3.32 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.30 million people | 3.22 million people | 3.34 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.08 million people | 2.98 million people | 3.18 million people | 5 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 19 Afghanistan 3.77 million people compare
- 20 Russian Federation 3.61 million people compare
- 21 Papua New Guinea 3.23 million people compare
- 23 Benin 2.95 million people compare
- 24 Yemen 2.89 million people compare
- 25 Cameroon 2.72 million people compare
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)
- Sawnwood, non-coniferous — Production, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Sawnwood, non-coniferous — Production, per unit of GDP 0 m3 per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Sawnwood, non-coniferous — Production, per capita 0.0047 m3 per person (2024)
- Sawnwood, non-coniferous — Import quantity, annual growth rate -96.38 % change on previous year (2024)
- Sawnwood, non-coniferous — Import quantity, per unit of GDP 0 m3 per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is people using improved drinking water sources in Zambia?
- People using improved drinking water sources in Zambia was 2.98 million 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 Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 3.34 million people in 2012.
- What is the lowest people using improved drinking water sources recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.98 million people in 2024.
- How does Zambia rank for people using improved drinking water sources?
- Zambia ranks 22nd out of 231 countries with data for 2024.
- Is people using improved drinking water sources rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- 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 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.