Share of the rural population using at least a basic drinking water services in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Share of the rural population using at least a basic drinking water services was 99.6% in 2024. ▬ Flat
Share of the rural population using at least a basic drinking water services in Saudi Arabia, 2000–2024
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 the rural population using at least a basic drinking water services in Saudi Arabia is 99.6%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the rural population using at least a basic drinking water services in Saudi Arabia peaked at 99.6% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 99.6%, in 2000.
Saudi Arabia ranks 43rd of 178 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Share of the rural population using at least a basic drinking water services in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 99.6% | — |
| 2001 | 99.6% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 99.6% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 99.6% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 99.6% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 99.6% | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 99.6% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 99.6% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 99.6% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 99.6% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 99.6% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 99.6% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 99.6% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 99.6% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 99.6% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 99.6% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 99.6% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 99.6% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 99.6% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 99.6% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 99.6% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 99.6% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 99.6% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 99.6% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 99.6% | +0.0% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's 99.6% is below the median for high income countries, which is 100.0%, 100% of the median. (50 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's 99.6% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 93.8%, 1.1× the median. (18 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 99.6% | 99.6% | 99.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 99.6% | 99.6% | 99.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 99.6% | 99.6% | 99.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
More environment data for Saudi Arabia
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -52.52 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -27.86 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.424 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.58 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.53 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- 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 9.62 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the rural population using at least a basic drinking water services in Saudi Arabia?
- Share of the rural population using at least a basic drinking water services in Saudi Arabia was 99.6% in 2024, 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 the rural population using at least a basic drinking water services recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 99.6% in 2000.
- What is the lowest share of the rural population using at least a basic drinking water services recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 99.6% in 2000.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for share of the rural population using at least a basic drinking water services?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 43rd out of 178 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of the rural population using at least a basic drinking water services rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia 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 the rural population using at least a basic drinking water services. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 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.