Percentage of population using at least basic drinking water services in Zambia
Zambia: Percentage of population using at least basic drinking water services was 73 % in 2024. ▲ Rising
Percentage of population using at least basic drinking water services in Zambia, 2000–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %.
Analysis
Zambia recorded 73 % for percentage of population using at least basic drinking water services in 2024. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.
The figure is up 1.4% on the previous year and up 15.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of population using at least basic drinking water services in Zambia peaked at 73 % in 2024 and was at its lowest, 46 %, in 2000.
Zambia ranks 160th of 186 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
Percentage of population using at least basic drinking water services in Zambia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 46 % | — |
| 2001 | 47 % | +2.2% |
| 2002 | 49 % | +4.3% |
| 2003 | 50 % | +2.0% |
| 2004 | 51 % | +2.0% |
| 2005 | 52 % | +2.0% |
| 2006 | 53 % | +1.9% |
| 2007 | 55 % | +3.8% |
| 2008 | 56 % | +1.8% |
| 2009 | 57 % | +1.8% |
| 2010 | 58 % | +1.8% |
| 2011 | 59 % | +1.7% |
| 2012 | 60 % | +1.7% |
| 2013 | 62 % | +3.3% |
| 2014 | 63 % | +1.6% |
| 2015 | 64 % | +1.6% |
| 2016 | 65 % | +1.6% |
| 2017 | 66 % | +1.5% |
| 2018 | 67 % | +1.5% |
| 2019 | 68 % | +1.5% |
| 2020 | 69 % | +1.5% |
| 2021 | 70 % | +1.4% |
| 2022 | 71 % | +1.4% |
| 2023 | 72 % | +1.4% |
| 2024 | 73 % | +1.4% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 73 % is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 84 %, 87% of the median. (40 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 73 % is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 72 %, 1.0× the median. (44 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 51.6 % | 46 % | 57 % | 10 |
| 2010s | 63.2 % | 58 % | 68 % | 10 |
| 2020s | 71 % | 69 % | 73 % | 5 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More environment data for Zambia
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -2.98 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -3.03 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.265 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.11 °C (2025)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.74 % 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 3.49 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is percentage of population using at least basic drinking water services in Zambia?
- Percentage of population using at least basic drinking water services in Zambia was 73 % 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 Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 73 % in 2024.
- What is the lowest percentage of population using at least basic drinking water services recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 46 % in 2000.
- How does Zambia rank for percentage of population using at least basic drinking water services?
- Zambia ranks 160th out of 186 countries with data for 2024.
- Is percentage of population using at least basic drinking water services rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zambia 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) — Value. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO).
About this data
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.