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

Canada: People in rural areas not using an improved water source was 110,386 people in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
110,386 people
Change on year
up 0.5%
World rank
85th
of 178 countries
All-time high
110,386 people
in 2024
All-time low
97,990 people
in 2001
Years of data
25
2000–2024

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

025.0k50.0k75.0k100.0k2000201220242000: 98.6k people2001: 98.0k people2002: 98.6k people2003: 99.2k people2004: 99.7k people2005: 100.2k people2006: 100.7k people2007: 100.7k people2008: 100.8k people2009: 101.0k people2010: 101.1k people2011: 101.2k people2012: 102.1k people2013: 102.9k people2014: 103.6k people2015: 104.3k people2016: 105.1k people2017: 106.1k people2018: 107.1k people2019: 108.0k people2020: 108.6k people2021: 108.8k people2022: 109.2k people2023: 109.9k people2024: 110.4k people

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

Analysis

In 2024, people in rural areas not using an improved water source in Canada stood at 110,386 people. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 6.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, people in rural areas not using an improved water source in Canada peaked at 110,386 people in 2024 and was at its lowest, 97,990 people, in 2001.

That places Canada 85th out of 178 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 99,751 people 97,990 people 100,975 people 10
2010s 104,148 people 101,084 people 108,043 people 10
2020s 109,395 people 108,634 people 110,386 people 5

Countries ranked near Canada

  1. 82 Panama 130,148 people compare
  2. 83 Azerbaijan 122,236 people compare
  3. 84 East Timor 114,012 people compare
  4. 86 Tunisia 106,536 people compare
  5. 87 Gabon 88,247 people compare
  6. 88 Gambia 84,097 people compare

See the full ranking of 178 places →

More environment data for Canada

All data for Canada →

Frequently asked questions

What is people in rural areas not using an improved water source in Canada?
People in rural areas not using an improved water source in Canada was 110,386 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 Canada?
The highest recorded value was 110,386 people in 2024.
What is the lowest people in rural areas not using an improved water source recorded in Canada?
The lowest recorded value was 97,990 people in 2001.
How does Canada rank for people in rural areas not using an improved water source?
Canada ranks 85th out of 178 countries with data for 2024.
Is people in rural areas not using an improved water source rising or falling in Canada?
Over the last ten years it is up 6.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Canada 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.