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

Ecuador: People in rural areas not using an improved water source was 732,671 people in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
732,671 people
Change on year
down 5.4%
World rank
56th
of 178 countries
All-time high
1.41 million people
in 2000
All-time low
732,671 people
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

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

0500.0k1.0M1.5M2000201220242000: 1.4M people2001: 1.4M people2002: 1.4M people2003: 1.3M people2004: 1.3M people2005: 1.3M people2006: 1.3M people2007: 1.3M people2008: 1.2M people2009: 1.2M people2010: 1.2M people2011: 1.2M people2012: 1.1M people2013: 1.1M people2014: 1.1M people2015: 1.1M people2016: 1.0M people2017: 994.6k people2018: 965.4k people2019: 934.7k people2020: 898.2k people2021: 857.2k people2022: 815.8k people2023: 774.6k people2024: 732.7k 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 Ecuador stood at 732,671 people. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 5.4% on the previous year and down 32.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, people in rural areas not using an improved water source in Ecuador peaked at 1.41 million people in 2000 and was at its lowest, 732,671 people, in 2024.

Ecuador ranks 56th of 178 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 1.31 million people 1.21 million people 1.41 million people 10
2010s 1.07 million people 934,735 people 1.19 million people 10
2020s 815,676 people 732,671 people 898,163 people 5

Countries ranked near Ecuador

  1. 53 Congo 850,757 people compare
  2. 54 Algeria 768,548 people compare
  3. 55 Bolivia 742,511 people compare
  4. 57 Tajikistan 714,996 people compare
  5. 58 Guatemala 707,323 people compare
  6. 59 Bangladesh 628,637 people compare

See the full ranking of 178 places →

More environment data for Ecuador

All data for Ecuador →

Frequently asked questions

What is people in rural areas not using an improved water source in Ecuador?
People in rural areas not using an improved water source in Ecuador was 732,671 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 Ecuador?
The highest recorded value was 1.41 million people in 2000.
What is the lowest people in rural areas not using an improved water source recorded in Ecuador?
The lowest recorded value was 732,671 people in 2024.
How does Ecuador rank for people in rural areas not using an improved water source?
Ecuador ranks 56th out of 178 countries with data for 2024.
Is people in rural areas not using an improved water source rising or falling in Ecuador?
Over the last ten years it is down 32.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Ecuador 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.