People in rural areas not using an improved water source in Bangladesh

Bangladesh: People in rural areas not using an improved water source was 628,637 people in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
628,637 people
Change on year
down 12.6%
World rank
59th
of 178 countries
All-time high
4.99 million people
in 2000
All-time low
628,637 people
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

People in rural areas not using an improved water source in Bangladesh, 2000–2024

1.0M2.0M3.0M4.0M5.0M2000201220242000: 5.0M people2001: 4.8M people2002: 4.7M people2003: 4.5M people2004: 4.3M people2005: 4.2M people2006: 4.0M people2007: 3.8M people2008: 3.6M people2009: 3.4M people2010: 3.2M people2011: 3.0M people2012: 2.8M people2013: 2.6M people2014: 2.4M people2015: 2.2M people2016: 2.0M people2017: 1.8M people2018: 1.6M people2019: 1.4M people2020: 1.2M people2021: 966.7k people2022: 810.4k people2023: 719.4k people2024: 628.6k people

Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.

Analysis

The most recent figure for people in rural areas not using an improved water source in Bangladesh is 628,637 people, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

The figure is down 12.6% on the previous year and down 73.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, people in rural areas not using an improved water source in Bangladesh peaked at 4.99 million people in 2000 and was at its lowest, 628,637 people, in 2024.

That places Bangladesh 59th out of 178 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 4.22 million people 3.37 million people 4.99 million people 10
2010s 2.26 million people 1.36 million people 3.17 million people 10
2020s 857,496 people 628,637 people 1.16 million people 5

Countries ranked near Bangladesh

  1. 56 Ecuador 732,671 people compare
  2. 57 Tajikistan 714,996 people compare
  3. 58 Guatemala 707,323 people compare
  4. 60 Mexico 600,167 people compare
  5. 61 Liberia 596,153 people compare
  6. 62 Nepal 543,050 people compare

See the full ranking of 178 places →

More environment data for Bangladesh

All data for Bangladesh →

Frequently asked questions

What is people in rural areas not using an improved water source in Bangladesh?
People in rural areas not using an improved water source in Bangladesh was 628,637 people 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 people in rural areas not using an improved water source recorded in Bangladesh?
The highest recorded value was 4.99 million people in 2000.
What is the lowest people in rural areas not using an improved water source recorded in Bangladesh?
The lowest recorded value was 628,637 people in 2024.
How does Bangladesh rank for people in rural areas not using an improved water source?
Bangladesh ranks 59th out of 178 countries with data for 2024.
Is people in rural areas not using an improved water source rising or falling in Bangladesh?
Over the last ten years it is down 73.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Bangladesh 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 People in rural areas not using an improved water source. 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

Indicator
People in rural areas not using an improved water source
Unit
people
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
178 places, 4,351 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed

Number of people not using improved drinking water sources. These people might use surface water sources or unprotected springs or wells, as no safe and reliable improved drinking water source is available to them.