Share of population using at least a basic drinking water source in Congo

Congo: Share of population using at least a basic drinking water source was 73.5% in 2021. ▲ Rising

Latest (2021)
73.5%
Change on year
up 0.3%
World rank
202nd
of 231 countries
All-time high
73.5%
in 2021
All-time low
58.4%
in 2000
Years of data
22
2000–2021

Share of population using at least a basic drinking water source in Congo, 2000–2021

0204060802000201020212000: 58.4 %2001: 58.7 %2002: 59.2 %2003: 59.7 %2004: 60.6 %2005: 61.6 %2006: 62.5 %2007: 63.4 %2008: 64.4 %2009: 65.3 %2010: 66.3 %2011: 67.2 %2012: 68.1 %2013: 69 %2014: 70 %2015: 70.9 %2016: 71.8 %2017: 72.7 %2018: 72.9 %2019: 73.1 %2020: 73.3 %2021: 73.5 %

Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2021, share of population using at least a basic drinking water source in Congo stood at 73.5%. That is the highest value across all 22 years on record.

The figure is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 9.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population using at least a basic drinking water source in Congo peaked at 73.5% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 58.4%, in 2000.

That places Congo 202nd out of 231 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 61.4% 58.4% 65.3% 10
2010s 70.2% 66.3% 73.1% 10
2020s 73.4% 73.3% 73.5% 2

Countries ranked near Congo

  1. 199 Somalia 75.3% compare
  2. 200 Yemen 75.0% compare
  3. 201 Guinea 74.2% compare
  4. 203 Zambia 73.4% compare
  5. 204 Haiti 73.3% compare
  6. 205 Malawi 73.1% compare

See the full ranking of 231 places →

More environment data for Congo

All data for Congo →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population using at least a basic drinking water source in Congo?
Share of population using at least a basic drinking water source in Congo was 73.5% in 2021, according to WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of population using at least a basic drinking water source recorded in Congo?
The highest recorded value was 73.5% in 2021.
What is the lowest share of population using at least a basic drinking water source recorded in Congo?
The lowest recorded value was 58.4% in 2000.
How does Congo rank for share of population using at least a basic drinking water source?
Congo ranks 202nd out of 231 countries with data for 2021.
Is share of population using at least a basic drinking water source rising or falling in Congo?
Over the last ten years it is up 9.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Congo 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 Share of population using at least a basic drinking water source. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 22 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Share of population using at least a basic drinking water source
Unit
%
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

Proportion of people who use an improved drinking water source, which is either located on their premises, or at a collection point, which takes no more than 30 minutes for a roundtrip.