People not using improved drinking water sources in Ireland

Ireland: People not using improved drinking water sources was 152,499 people in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
152,499 people
Change on year
up 0.5%
Rank
90th
of 231 regions
All-time high
152,499 people
in 2024
All-time low
127,644 people
in 2000
Years of data
25
2000–2024

People not using improved drinking water sources in Ireland, 2000–2024

050.0k100.0k150.0k2000201220242000: 127.6k people2001: 128.9k people2002: 130.3k people2003: 131.6k people2004: 133.2k people2005: 135.3k people2006: 138.2k people2007: 141.4k people2008: 143.4k people2009: 144.1k people2010: 144.0k people2011: 143.7k people2012: 143.5k people2013: 143.4k people2014: 143.5k people2015: 144.0k people2016: 144.7k people2017: 145.5k people2018: 146.5k people2019: 147.4k people2020: 148.0k people2021: 148.5k people2022: 150.0k people2023: 151.7k people2024: 152.5k people

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 Ireland stood at 152,499 people. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 6.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, people not using improved drinking water sources in Ireland peaked at 152,499 people in 2024 and was at its lowest, 127,644 people, in 2000.

Ireland ranks 90th of 231 regions on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 135,400 people 127,644 people 144,072 people 10
2010s 144,611 people 143,370 people 147,410 people 10
2020s 150,125 people 147,991 people 152,499 people 5

Countries ranked near Ireland

  1. 87 Moldova 174,097 people compare
  2. 88 Eswatini 168,104 people compare
  3. 89 Tunisia 167,573 people compare
  4. 91 Gabon 142,704 people compare
  5. 92 Panama 130,148 people compare
  6. 93 Azerbaijan 122,237 people compare

See the full ranking of 231 places →

More environment data for Ireland

All data for Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is people not using improved drinking water sources in Ireland?
People not using improved drinking water sources in Ireland was 152,499 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 Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 152,499 people in 2024.
What is the lowest people not using improved drinking water sources recorded in Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 127,644 people in 2000.
How does Ireland rank for people not using improved drinking water sources?
Ireland ranks 90th out of 231 regions with data for 2024.
Is people not using improved drinking water sources rising or falling in Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is up 6.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Ireland 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

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.