Population using safely managed drinking-water services in South Africa

South Africa: Population using safely managed drinking-water services was 50.8% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
50.8%
Change on year
down 0.7%
World rank
36th
of 85 countries
All-time high
51.9%
in 2021
All-time low
27.9%
in 2000
Years of data
25
2000–2024

Population using safely managed drinking-water services in South Africa, 2000–2024

02040602000201220242000: 27.92001: 28.22002: 29.22003: 30.32004: 31.42005: 32.52006: 33.72007: 34.82008: 362009: 37.22010: 38.32011: 39.62012: 40.82013: 422014: 43.32015: 44.62016: 45.92017: 47.22018: 48.52019: 49.92020: 51.32021: 51.92022: 51.62023: 51.22024: 50.8

Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 50.8% for population using safely managed drinking-water services in 2024.

That represents a change of down 0.7% on the previous year and up 17.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, population using safely managed drinking-water services in South Africa peaked at 51.9% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 27.9%, in 2000.

That places South Africa 36th out of 85 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 32.1% 27.9% 37.2% 10
2010s 44.0% 38.3% 49.9% 10
2020s 51.4% 50.8% 51.9% 5

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 33 Samoa 56.3% compare
  2. 34 Turks and Caicos Islands 55.7% compare
  3. 35 Myanmar 52.8% compare
  4. 37 Paraguay 50.7% compare
  5. 38 North Korea 48.8% compare
  6. 39 Iraq 47.6% compare

See the full ranking of 93 places →

More environment data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is population using safely managed drinking-water services in South Africa?
Population using safely managed drinking-water services in South Africa was 50.8% in 2024, according to World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
What is the highest population using safely managed drinking-water services recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 51.9% in 2021.
What is the lowest population using safely managed drinking-water services recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 27.9% in 2000.
How does South Africa rank for population using safely managed drinking-water services?
South Africa ranks 36th out of 85 countries with data for 2024.
Is population using safely managed drinking-water services rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 17.4%. 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 safely managed 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).

About this data

Indicator
Population using safely managed drinking-water services (%)
Source
World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO)
Coverage
93 places, 2,280 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed