People using at least a basic drinking water source in India
India: People using at least a basic drinking water source was 1.39 billion people in 2024. ▲ Rising
People using at least a basic drinking water source in India, 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 at least a basic drinking water source in India stood at 1.39 billion people. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.6% on the previous year and up 18.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, people using at least a basic drinking water source in India peaked at 1.39 billion people in 2024 and was at its lowest, 840.96 million people, in 2000.
That places India 1st out of 231 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
People using at least a basic drinking water source in India, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 840.96 million people | — |
| 2001 | 863.03 million people | +2.6% |
| 2002 | 886.51 million people | +2.7% |
| 2003 | 909.85 million people | +2.6% |
| 2004 | 933.43 million people | +2.6% |
| 2005 | 956.83 million people | +2.5% |
| 2006 | 980.08 million people | +2.4% |
| 2007 | 1.00 billion people | +2.4% |
| 2008 | 1.03 billion people | +2.3% |
| 2009 | 1.05 billion people | +2.3% |
| 2010 | 1.07 billion people | +2.3% |
| 2011 | 1.10 billion people | +2.2% |
| 2012 | 1.12 billion people | +2.2% |
| 2013 | 1.15 billion people | +2.1% |
| 2014 | 1.17 billion people | +2.1% |
| 2015 | 1.19 billion people | +2.0% |
| 2016 | 1.22 billion people | +2.0% |
| 2017 | 1.24 billion people | +1.9% |
| 2018 | 1.26 billion people | +1.8% |
| 2019 | 1.28 billion people | +1.8% |
| 2020 | 1.31 billion people | +1.7% |
| 2021 | 1.33 billion people | +1.5% |
| 2022 | 1.35 billion people | +1.5% |
| 2023 | 1.37 billion people | +1.6% |
| 2024 | 1.39 billion people | +1.6% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 1.39 billion people is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 10.66 million people, 130.4× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- India's 1.39 billion people is above the median for South Asia, which is 24.30 million people, 57.1× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 944.95 million people | 840.96 million people | 1.05 billion people | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.18 billion people | 1.07 billion people | 1.28 billion people | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.35 billion people | 1.31 billion people | 1.39 billion people | 5 |
Countries ranked near India
More environment data for India
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 11.05 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 12.52 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.254 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 0.954 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 3.92 % 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 1.12 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is people using at least a basic drinking water source in India?
- People using at least a basic drinking water source in India was 1.39 billion 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 at least a basic drinking water source recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 1.39 billion people in 2024.
- What is the lowest people using at least a basic drinking water source recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 840.96 million people in 2000.
- How does India rank for people using at least a basic drinking water source?
- India ranks 1st out of 231 countries with data for 2024.
- Is people using at least a basic drinking water source rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is up 18.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this India 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 at least a basic drinking water source. 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 an improved drinking water source, which is either available on premises, or collection time is no more than 30 minutes for a roundtrip.