Share of population using at least a basic drinking water source in North Korea
North Korea: Share of population using at least a basic drinking water source was 93.9% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of population using at least a basic drinking water source in North Korea, 2000–2023
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 North Korea is 93.9%, measured in 2023.
The figure is down 2.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population using at least a basic drinking water source in North Korea peaked at 99.3% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 93.8%, in 2019.
North Korea ranks 153rd of 231 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Share of population using at least a basic drinking water source in North Korea, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 99.3% | — |
| 2001 | 99.3% | -0.0% |
| 2002 | 99.3% | -0.0% |
| 2003 | 99.3% | -0.0% |
| 2004 | 99.2% | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 98.9% | -0.4% |
| 2006 | 98.5% | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 98.1% | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 97.7% | -0.4% |
| 2009 | 97.4% | -0.4% |
| 2010 | 97.0% | -0.4% |
| 2011 | 96.7% | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 96.3% | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 95.9% | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 95.6% | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 95.2% | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 94.9% | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 94.5% | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 94.2% | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 93.8% | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 93.8% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 93.9% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 93.9% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 93.9% | +0.0% |
North Korea compared with similar countries
- North Korea's 93.9% is above the median for low income countries, which is 64.9%, 1.4× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- North Korea's 93.9% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 98.7%, 95% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 98.7% | 97.4% | 99.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 95.4% | 93.8% | 97.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 93.9% | 93.8% | 93.9% | 4 |
Countries ranked near North Korea
More environment data for North Korea
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 3.16 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 2.89 Percentage change (2025)
- Cooling Degree Days 854.46 (2024)
- Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from Industrial Processes (Mt CO2e) 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e) 0.8843 % change on previous year (2024)
- Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e) 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) (Mt) 0.9455 % change on previous year (2024)
- Heating Degree Days 6,917 (2024)
- Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual -0.97 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population using at least a basic drinking water source in North Korea?
- Share of population using at least a basic drinking water source in North Korea was 93.9% in 2023, 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 North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 99.3% in 2000.
- What is the lowest share of population using at least a basic drinking water source recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 93.8% in 2019.
- How does North Korea rank for share of population using at least a basic drinking water source?
- North Korea ranks 153rd out of 231 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of population using at least a basic drinking water source rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this North Korea 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 — 24 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.