People not using improved drinking water sources in Congo

Congo: People not using improved drinking water sources was 952,417 people in 2021. ▼ Falling

Latest (2021)
952,417 people
Change on year
up 1.2%
World rank
57th
of 231 countries
All-time high
1.04 million people
in 2006
All-time low
906,907 people
in 2017
Years of data
22
2000–2021

People not using improved drinking water sources in Congo, 2000–2021

0250.0k500.0k750.0k1.0M2000201020212000: 984.4k people2001: 1.0M people2002: 1.0M people2003: 1.0M people2004: 1.0M people2005: 1.0M people2006: 1.0M people2007: 1.0M people2008: 1.0M people2009: 1.0M people2010: 1.0M people2011: 1.0M people2012: 1.0M people2013: 993.6k people2014: 973.2k people2015: 952.0k people2016: 929.9k people2017: 906.9k people2018: 918.5k people2019: 929.9k people2020: 941.1k people2021: 952.4k people

Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.

Analysis

The most recent figure for people not using improved drinking water sources in Congo is 952,417 people, measured in 2021.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.2% on the previous year and down 7.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, people not using improved drinking water sources in Congo peaked at 1.04 million people in 2006 and was at its lowest, 906,907 people, in 2017.

Congo ranks 57th of 231 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 22 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 1.03 million people 984,418 people 1.04 million people 10
2010s 968,141 people 906,907 people 1.04 million people 10
2020s 946,766 people 941,115 people 952,417 people 2

Countries ranked near Congo

  1. 54 Japan 1.01 million people compare
  2. 55 Guatemala 958,106 people compare
  3. 56 Eritrea 954,690 people compare
  4. 58 Nepal 873,006 people compare
  5. 59 Turkey 859,696 people compare
  6. 60 Tajikistan 842,858 people compare

See the full ranking of 231 places →

More environment data for Congo

All data for Congo →

Frequently asked questions

What is people not using improved drinking water sources in Congo?
People not using improved drinking water sources in Congo was 952,417 people in 2021, 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 Congo?
The highest recorded value was 1.04 million people in 2006.
What is the lowest people not using improved drinking water sources recorded in Congo?
The lowest recorded value was 906,907 people in 2017.
How does Congo rank for people not using improved drinking water sources?
Congo ranks 57th out of 231 countries with data for 2021.
Is people not using improved drinking water sources rising or falling in Congo?
Over the last ten years it is down 7.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Congo 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 — 22 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
People not using improved drinking water sources
Unit
people
Source
WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
231 places, 5,586 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed

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.