People using at least a basic drinking water source in North Macedonia
North Macedonia: People using at least a basic drinking water source was 1.79 million people in 2024. ▼ Falling
People using at least a basic drinking water source in North Macedonia, 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
The most recent figure for people using at least a basic drinking water source in North Macedonia is 1.79 million people, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.5% on the previous year and down 8.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, people using at least a basic drinking water source in North Macedonia peaked at 2.03 million people in 2006 and was at its lowest, 1.79 million people, in 2024.
North Macedonia ranks 147th of 231 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
People using at least a basic drinking water source in North Macedonia, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 1.99 million people | — |
| 2001 | 2.00 million people | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 2.01 million people | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 2.01 million people | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 2.02 million people | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 2.02 million people | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 2.03 million people | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 2.02 million people | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 2.01 million people | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 2.00 million people | -0.4% |
| 2010 | 2.00 million people | -0.4% |
| 2011 | 1.99 million people | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 1.97 million people | -0.6% |
| 2013 | 1.96 million people | -0.6% |
| 2014 | 1.95 million people | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 1.93 million people | -0.8% |
| 2016 | 1.92 million people | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 1.90 million people | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 1.88 million people | -1.0% |
| 2019 | 1.86 million people | -1.1% |
| 2020 | 1.84 million people | -1.3% |
| 2021 | 1.82 million people | -1.0% |
| 2022 | 1.81 million people | -0.6% |
| 2023 | 1.80 million people | -0.4% |
| 2024 | 1.79 million people | -0.5% |
North Macedonia compared with similar countries
- North Macedonia's 1.79 million people is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 6.66 million people, 27% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- North Macedonia's 1.79 million people is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 6.20 million people, 29% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 2.01 million people | 1.99 million people | 2.03 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.94 million people | 1.86 million people | 2.00 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.81 million people | 1.79 million people | 1.84 million people | 5 |
Countries ranked near North Macedonia
More environment data for North Macedonia
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 2.21 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 3.08 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.483 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.22 °C (2025)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate -100 % change on previous year (2004)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -7.16 % 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 -10.18 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is people using at least a basic drinking water source in North Macedonia?
- People using at least a basic drinking water source in North Macedonia was 1.79 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 North Macedonia?
- The highest recorded value was 2.03 million people in 2006.
- What is the lowest people using at least a basic drinking water source recorded in North Macedonia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.79 million people in 2024.
- How does North Macedonia rank for people using at least a basic drinking water source?
- North Macedonia ranks 147th out of 231 countries with data for 2024.
- Is people using at least a basic drinking water source rising or falling in North Macedonia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this North Macedonia 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.