Share using safely managed drinking water in North Korea

North Korea: Share using safely managed drinking water was 66.6% in 2023. ▬ Flat

Latest (2023)
66.6%
Change on year
up 0.1%
World rank
105th
of 163 countries
All-time high
69.1%
in 2003
All-time low
66.3%
in 2019
Years of data
24
2000–2023

Share using safely managed drinking water in North Korea, 2000–2023

02040602000201120232000: 69 %2001: 69 %2002: 69 %2003: 69.1 %2004: 69 %2005: 68.8 %2006: 68.6 %2007: 68.4 %2008: 68.2 %2009: 68 %2010: 67.8 %2011: 67.7 %2012: 67.5 %2013: 67.3 %2014: 67.1 %2015: 67 %2016: 66.8 %2017: 66.6 %2018: 66.5 %2019: 66.3 %2020: 66.4 %2021: 66.5 %2022: 66.5 %2023: 66.6 %

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 using safely managed drinking water in North Korea is 66.6%, measured in 2023.

That represents a change of up 0.1% on the previous year and down 1.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share using safely managed drinking water in North Korea peaked at 69.1% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 66.3%, in 2019.

North Korea ranks 105th of 163 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 68.7% 68.0% 69.1% 10
2010s 67.1% 66.3% 67.8% 10
2020s 66.5% 66.4% 66.6% 4

Countries ranked near North Korea

  1. 102 Wallis and Futuna 68.9% compare
  2. 103 South Africa 68.0% compare
  3. 104 Guyana 67.2% compare
  4. 106 Bhutan 65.6% compare
  5. 107 Honduras 65.5% compare
  6. 108 Tajikistan 65.1% compare

See the full ranking of 163 places →

More environment data for North Korea

All data for North Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is share using safely managed drinking water in North Korea?
Share using safely managed drinking water in North Korea was 66.6% 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 using safely managed drinking water recorded in North Korea?
The highest recorded value was 69.1% in 2003.
What is the lowest share using safely managed drinking water recorded in North Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 66.3% in 2019.
How does North Korea rank for share using safely managed drinking water?
North Korea ranks 105th out of 163 countries with data for 2023.
Is share using safely managed drinking water rising or falling in North Korea?
Over the last ten years it is down 1.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
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 using safely managed drinking water. 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

Indicator
Share using safely managed drinking water
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
163 places, 3,991 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed

Proportion of people using an improved drinking water source that is located on premises, available when needed and free from faecal and priority chemical contamination.