People using at least a basic drinking water source in Japan

Japan: People using at least a basic drinking water source was 122.74 million people in 2024. ▬ Flat

Latest (2024)
122.74 million people
Change on year
down 0.5%
World rank
11th
of 231 countries
All-time high
126.56 million people
in 2010
All-time low
122.74 million people
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

People using at least a basic drinking water source in Japan, 2000–2024

050.0M100.0M150.0M2000201220242000: 125.1M people2001: 125.4M people2002: 125.6M people2003: 125.8M people2004: 125.9M people2005: 126.1M people2006: 126.2M people2007: 126.3M people2008: 126.4M people2009: 126.5M people2010: 126.6M people2011: 126.5M people2012: 126.4M people2013: 126.2M people2014: 126.0M people2015: 125.9M people2016: 125.8M people2017: 125.8M people2018: 125.7M people2019: 125.5M people2020: 125.1M people2021: 124.6M people2022: 123.9M people2023: 123.4M people2024: 122.7M 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 using at least a basic drinking water source in Japan stood at 122.74 million people. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

That represents a change of down 0.5% on the previous year and down 2.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, people using at least a basic drinking water source in Japan peaked at 126.56 million people in 2010 and was at its lowest, 122.74 million people, in 2024.

Japan ranks 11th of 231 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 125.94 million people 125.15 million people 126.52 million people 10
2010s 126.03 million people 125.49 million people 126.56 million people 10
2020s 123.95 million people 122.74 million people 125.14 million people 5

Countries ranked near Japan

  1. 8 Bangladesh 171.45 million people compare
  2. 9 Russia 140.33 million people compare
  3. 10 Mexico 130.26 million people compare
  4. 12 Egypt 113.39 million people compare
  5. 13 Philippines 111.05 million people compare
  6. 14 Vietnam 99.74 million people compare

See the full ranking of 231 places →

More environment data for Japan

All data for Japan →

Frequently asked questions

What is people using at least a basic drinking water source in Japan?
People using at least a basic drinking water source in Japan was 122.74 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 using at least a basic drinking water source recorded in Japan?
The highest recorded value was 126.56 million people in 2010.
What is the lowest people using at least a basic drinking water source recorded in Japan?
The lowest recorded value was 122.74 million people in 2024.
How does Japan rank for people using at least a basic drinking water source?
Japan ranks 11th out of 231 countries with data for 2024.
Is people using at least a basic drinking water source rising or falling in Japan?
Over the last ten years it is down 2.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Japan 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

Indicator
People using at least a basic drinking water source
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 using an improved drinking water source, which is either available on premises, or collection time is no more than 30 minutes for a roundtrip.