People not using improved drinking water sources in China
China: People not using improved drinking water sources was 53.02 million people in 2024. ▼ Falling
People not using improved drinking water sources in China, 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
China recorded 53.02 million people for people not 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 1.2% on the previous year and down 53.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, people not using improved drinking water sources in China peaked at 245.66 million people in 2000 and was at its lowest, 53.02 million people, in 2024.
China ranks 1st of 231 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
People not using improved drinking water sources in China, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 245.66 million people | — |
| 2001 | 243.03 million people | -1.1% |
| 2002 | 231.63 million people | -4.7% |
| 2003 | 220.31 million people | -4.9% |
| 2004 | 209.15 million people | -5.1% |
| 2005 | 198.27 million people | -5.2% |
| 2006 | 187.76 million people | -5.3% |
| 2007 | 177.51 million people | -5.5% |
| 2008 | 167.52 million people | -5.6% |
| 2009 | 157.88 million people | -5.8% |
| 2010 | 148.52 million people | -5.9% |
| 2011 | 139.54 million people | -6.0% |
| 2012 | 130.95 million people | -6.2% |
| 2013 | 122.64 million people | -6.3% |
| 2014 | 114.56 million people | -6.6% |
| 2015 | 106.69 million people | -6.9% |
| 2016 | 99.10 million people | -7.1% |
| 2017 | 91.85 million people | -7.3% |
| 2018 | 84.84 million people | -7.6% |
| 2019 | 78.06 million people | -8.0% |
| 2020 | 71.55 million people | -8.3% |
| 2021 | 65.29 million people | -8.7% |
| 2022 | 59.33 million people | -9.1% |
| 2023 | 53.68 million people | -9.5% |
| 2024 | 53.02 million people | -1.2% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 53.02 million people is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 61,603 people, 860.7× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- China's 53.02 million people is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 8,111 people, 6536.4× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 203.87 million people | 157.88 million people | 245.66 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 111.68 million people | 78.06 million people | 148.52 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 60.57 million people | 53.02 million people | 71.55 million people | 5 |
Countries ranked near China
More environment data for China
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.279 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.92 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.8065 % 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 -0.2517 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), annual 0.9037 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is people not using improved drinking water sources in China?
- People not using improved drinking water sources in China was 53.02 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 not using improved drinking water sources recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 245.66 million people in 2000.
- What is the lowest people not using improved drinking water sources recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 53.02 million people in 2024.
- How does China rank for people not using improved drinking water sources?
- China ranks 1st out of 231 countries with data for 2024.
- Is people not using improved drinking water sources rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 53.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this China 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 not 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 not using improved drinking water sources. These people might use surface water sources or unprotected springs or wells, as no safe and reliable improved drinking water source is available to them.