People not using improved drinking water sources in Iran
Iran: People not using improved drinking water sources was 234,152 people in 2024. ▼ Falling
People not using improved drinking water sources in Iran, 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 not using improved drinking water sources in Iran stood at 234,152 people. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 27.2% on the previous year and down 79.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, people not using improved drinking water sources in Iran peaked at 2.39 million people in 2000 and was at its lowest, 234,152 people, in 2024.
That places Iran 81st out of 231 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
People not using improved drinking water sources in Iran, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 2.39 million people | — |
| 2001 | 2.30 million people | -3.8% |
| 2002 | 2.19 million people | -4.6% |
| 2003 | 2.09 million people | -4.5% |
| 2004 | 2.01 million people | -3.7% |
| 2005 | 1.94 million people | -3.8% |
| 2006 | 1.86 million people | -4.1% |
| 2007 | 1.77 million people | -4.7% |
| 2008 | 1.68 million people | -5.3% |
| 2009 | 1.58 million people | -5.6% |
| 2010 | 1.49 million people | -5.9% |
| 2011 | 1.40 million people | -6.2% |
| 2012 | 1.31 million people | -6.6% |
| 2013 | 1.22 million people | -6.9% |
| 2014 | 1.13 million people | -7.4% |
| 2015 | 1.04 million people | -7.9% |
| 2016 | 947,639 people | -8.6% |
| 2017 | 859,083 people | -9.3% |
| 2018 | 769,347 people | -10.4% |
| 2019 | 678,650 people | -11.8% |
| 2020 | 586,808 people | -13.5% |
| 2021 | 496,530 people | -15.4% |
| 2022 | 408,805 people | -17.7% |
| 2023 | 321,484 people | -21.4% |
| 2024 | 234,152 people | -27.2% |
Iran compared with similar countries
- Iran's 234,152 people is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 61,603 people, 3.8× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Iran's 234,152 people is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 55,032 people, 4.3× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1.98 million people | 1.58 million people | 2.39 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.08 million people | 678,650 people | 1.49 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 409,556 people | 234,152 people | 586,808 people | 5 |
Countries ranked near Iran
More environment data for Iran
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -30.46 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -21.27 Percentage change (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.4 % 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 1.9 % 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 -0.0807 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), per unit of 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is people not using improved drinking water sources in Iran?
- People not using improved drinking water sources in Iran was 234,152 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 Iran?
- The highest recorded value was 2.39 million people in 2000.
- What is the lowest people not using improved drinking water sources recorded in Iran?
- The lowest recorded value was 234,152 people in 2024.
- How does Iran rank for people not using improved drinking water sources?
- Iran ranks 81st out of 231 countries with data for 2024.
- Is people not using improved drinking water sources rising or falling in Iran?
- Over the last ten years it is down 79.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iran 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.