Population using at least basic drinking-water services in South Africa
South Africa: Population using at least basic drinking-water services was 73.0% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
73.0%
Change on year
down 1.2%
World rank
135th
of 177 countries
All-time high
80.6%
in 2014
All-time low
69.0%
in 2000
Years of data
25
2000–2024
Population using at least basic drinking-water services in South Africa, 2000–2024
Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 73.0% for population using at least basic drinking-water services in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.2% on the previous year and down 9.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population using at least basic drinking-water services in South Africa peaked at 80.6% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 69.0%, in 2000.
That places South Africa 135th out of 177 countries 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.
Population using at least basic drinking-water services in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 69.0% | — |
| 2001 | 69.9% | +1.2% |
| 2002 | 70.7% | +1.2% |
| 2003 | 71.5% | +1.2% |
| 2004 | 72.3% | +1.2% |
| 2005 | 73.2% | +1.1% |
| 2006 | 74.0% | +1.1% |
| 2007 | 74.8% | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 75.6% | +1.1% |
| 2009 | 76.5% | +1.1% |
| 2010 | 77.3% | +1.1% |
| 2011 | 78.1% | +1.1% |
| 2012 | 78.9% | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 79.8% | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 80.6% | +1.0% |
| 2015 | 80.0% | -0.8% |
| 2016 | 79.3% | -0.8% |
| 2017 | 78.6% | -0.9% |
| 2018 | 77.9% | -0.9% |
| 2019 | 77.2% | -1.0% |
| 2020 | 76.4% | -1.0% |
| 2021 | 75.6% | -1.1% |
| 2022 | 74.7% | -1.1% |
| 2023 | 73.9% | -1.2% |
| 2024 | 73.0% | -1.2% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 73.0% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 94.8%, 77% of the median. (54 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 73.0% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 58.5%, 1.2× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 72.8% | 69.0% | 76.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 78.8% | 77.2% | 80.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 74.7% | 73.0% | 76.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More environment data for South Africa
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 5.46 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 8.52 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.275 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.05 °C (2025)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.59 % 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 0.2953 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population using at least basic drinking-water services in South Africa?
- Population using at least basic drinking-water services in South Africa was 73.0% in 2024, according to World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
- What is the highest population using at least basic drinking-water services recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 80.6% in 2014.
- What is the lowest population using at least basic drinking-water services recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 69.0% in 2000.
- How does South Africa rank for population using at least basic drinking-water services?
- South Africa ranks 135th out of 177 countries with data for 2024.
- Is population using at least basic drinking-water services rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory, published as part of Population using at least basic drinking-water services (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO).