Percentage of population using at least basic drinking water services in Sub-Saharan Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa: Percentage of population using at least basic drinking water services was 68 % in 2024. β–² Rising

Latest (2024)
68 %
Change on year
up 1.5%
Rank
35th
of 40 regions
All-time high
68 %
in 2024
All-time low
45 %
in 2000
Years of data
25
2000–2024

Percentage of population using at least basic drinking water services in Sub-Saharan Africa, 2000–2024

02040602000201220242000: 45 %2001: 46 %2002: 47 %2003: 48 %2004: 49 %2005: 50 %2006: 51 %2007: 52 %2008: 53 %2009: 54 %2010: 55 %2011: 56 %2012: 56 %2013: 58 %2014: 58 %2015: 59 %2016: 60 %2017: 61 %2018: 62 %2019: 63 %2020: 64 %2021: 65 %2022: 66 %2023: 67 %2024: 68 %

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2024, percentage of population using at least basic drinking water services in Sub-Saharan Africa stood at 68 %. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.

The figure is up 1.5% on the previous year and up 17.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, percentage of population using at least basic drinking water services in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 68 % in 2024 and was at its lowest, 45 %, in 2000.

That places Sub-Saharan Africa 35th out of 40 regions with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 49.5 % 45 % 54 % 10
2010s 58.8 % 55 % 63 % 10
2020s 66 % 64 % 68 % 5

More environment data for Sub-Saharan Africa

All data for Sub-Saharan Africa β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is percentage of population using at least basic drinking water services in Sub-Saharan Africa?
Percentage of population using at least basic drinking water services in Sub-Saharan Africa was 68 % in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest percentage of population using at least basic drinking water services recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
The highest recorded value was 68 % in 2024.
What is the lowest percentage of population using at least basic drinking water services recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 45 % in 2000.
How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for percentage of population using at least basic drinking water services?
Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 35th out of 40 regions with data for 2024.
Is percentage of population using at least basic drinking water services rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 17.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Percentage of population using at least basic drinking water services (percent) β€” Value. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Percentage of population using at least basic drinking water services in Sub-Saharan Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 20 August 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/stat/percentage-of-population-using-at-least-basic-drinking-water-services-percent-value/sub-saharan-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Percentage of population using at least basic drinking water services (percent) β€” Value
Unit
%
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
232 places, 5,695 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed

The Suite of Food Security Indicators presents the core set of food security indicators. Following the recommendation of experts gathered in the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) Round Table on hunger measurement, hosted at FAO headquarters in September 2011, an initial set of indicators aiming to capture various aspects of food insecurity is presented here. The choice of the indicators has been informed by expert judgement and the availability of data with sufficient coverage to enable comparisons across regions and over time. Many of these indicators are produced and published elsewhere by FAO and other international organizations. They are reported here in a single database with the aim of building a wide food security information system. More indicators will be added to this set as more data will become available. Indicators are classified along the four dimensions of food security -- availability, access, utilization and stability.