Share of population using at least a basic drinking water source in Eritrea
Eritrea: Share of population using at least a basic drinking water source was 51.8% in 2016. ▲ Rising
Share of population using at least a basic drinking water source in Eritrea, 2000–2016
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of population using at least a basic drinking water source in Eritrea is 51.8%, measured in 2016. That is the highest value across all 17 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.7% on the previous year and up 6.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population using at least a basic drinking water source in Eritrea peaked at 51.8% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 46.8%, in 2000.
Eritrea ranks 227th of 231 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 17 years of available data.
Share of population using at least a basic drinking water source in Eritrea, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 46.8% | — |
| 2001 | 47.1% | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 47.4% | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 47.8% | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 48.1% | +0.7% |
| 2005 | 48.5% | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 48.9% | +0.8% |
| 2007 | 49.2% | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 49.6% | +0.8% |
| 2009 | 49.8% | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 50.0% | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 50.2% | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 50.3% | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 50.7% | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 51.1% | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 51.5% | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 51.8% | +0.7% |
Eritrea compared with similar countries
- Eritrea's 51.8% is below the median for low income countries, which is 64.9%, 80% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Eritrea's 51.8% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 72.2%, 72% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 48.3% | 46.8% | 49.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 50.8% | 50.0% | 51.8% | 7 |
Countries ranked near Eritrea
- 224 Niger 53.4% compare
- 225 Papua New Guinea 53.3% compare
- 226 Chad 52.2% compare
- 228 Burkina Faso 50.0% compare
- 229 South Sudan 39.7% compare
- 230 Central African Republic 36.5% compare
More environment data for Eritrea
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -12.24 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -10.14 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 57.1 % change on previous year (2023)
- Standard Deviation 0.531 °C (2023)
- Temperature change 0.012 °C (2023)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.6471 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2011)
- 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 0.3665 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2011)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population using at least a basic drinking water source in Eritrea?
- Share of population using at least a basic drinking water source in Eritrea was 51.8% in 2016, 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 Eritrea?
- The highest recorded value was 51.8% in 2016.
- What is the lowest share of population using at least a basic drinking water source recorded in Eritrea?
- The lowest recorded value was 46.8% in 2000.
- How does Eritrea rank for share of population using at least a basic drinking water source?
- Eritrea ranks 227th out of 231 countries with data for 2016.
- Is share of population using at least a basic drinking water source rising or falling in Eritrea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Eritrea 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 — 17 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
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.