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

Eritrea: People in rural areas not using an improved water source was 911,772 people in 2016. ▲ Rising

Latest (2016)
911,772 people
Change on year
down 0.4%
World rank
51st
of 178 countries
All-time high
924,184 people
in 2013
All-time low
687,889 people
in 2000
Years of data
17
2000–2016

People in rural areas not using an improved water source in Eritrea, 2000–2016

0200.0k400.0k600.0k800.0k1.0M2000200820162000: 687.9k people2001: 707.8k people2002: 732.2k people2003: 762.3k people2004: 793.0k people2005: 810.5k people2006: 821.1k people2007: 830.5k people2008: 849.5k people2009: 872.8k people2010: 891.6k people2011: 909.0k people2012: 921.7k people2013: 924.2k people2014: 921.4k people2015: 915.4k people2016: 911.8k 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 Eritrea is 911,772 people, measured in 2016.

The figure is down 0.4% on the previous year and up 11.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, people in rural areas not using an improved water source in Eritrea peaked at 924,184 people in 2013 and was at its lowest, 687,889 people, in 2000.

That places Eritrea 51st out of 178 countries with data for 2016, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 17 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 786,755 people 687,889 people 872,769 people 10
2010s 913,590 people 891,604 people 924,184 people 7

Countries ranked near Eritrea

  1. 48 Malawi 1.10 million people compare
  2. 49 North Korea 1.06 million people compare
  3. 50 Vietnam 916,501 people compare
  4. 52 Peru 855,954 people compare
  5. 53 Congo 850,757 people compare
  6. 54 Algeria 768,548 people compare

See the full ranking of 178 places →

More environment data for Eritrea

All data for Eritrea →

Frequently asked questions

What is people in rural areas not using an improved water source in Eritrea?
People in rural areas not using an improved water source in Eritrea was 911,772 people in 2016, 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 Eritrea?
The highest recorded value was 924,184 people in 2013.
What is the lowest people in rural areas not using an improved water source recorded in Eritrea?
The lowest recorded value was 687,889 people in 2000.
How does Eritrea rank for people in rural areas not using an improved water source?
Eritrea ranks 51st out of 178 countries with data for 2016.
Is people in rural areas not using an improved water source rising or falling in Eritrea?
Over the last ten years it is up 11.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Eritrea 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 — 17 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.