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

Iran: People in rural areas not using an improved water source was 177,028 people in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
177,028 people
Change on year
down 27.9%
World rank
76th
of 178 countries
All-time high
2.06 million people
in 2000
All-time low
177,028 people
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

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

0500.0k1.0M1.5M2.0M2000201220242000: 2.1M people2001: 2.0M people2002: 1.9M people2003: 1.8M people2004: 1.7M people2005: 1.6M people2006: 1.6M people2007: 1.5M people2008: 1.4M people2009: 1.3M people2010: 1.2M people2011: 1.1M people2012: 1.1M people2013: 987.4k people2014: 909.7k people2015: 832.9k people2016: 757.4k people2017: 682.7k people2018: 607.8k people2019: 532.9k people2020: 457.8k people2021: 384.8k people2022: 314.6k people2023: 245.4k people2024: 177.0k 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 Iran stood at 177,028 people. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 27.9% on the previous year and down 80.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, people in rural areas not using an improved water source in Iran peaked at 2.06 million people in 2000 and was at its lowest, 177,028 people, in 2024.

Iran ranks 76th of 178 countries on this measure, 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 1.68 million people 1.31 million people 2.06 million people 10
2010s 875,283 people 532,867 people 1.23 million people 10
2020s 315,944 people 177,028 people 457,846 people 5

Countries ranked near Iran

  1. 73 Argentina 257,905 people compare
  2. 74 Turkey 257,424 people compare
  3. 75 Kyrgyzstan 201,464 people compare
  4. 77 Namibia 176,687 people compare
  5. 78 Solomon Islands 170,906 people compare
  6. 79 Moldova 166,372 people compare

See the full ranking of 178 places →

More environment data for Iran

All data for Iran →

Frequently asked questions

What is people in rural areas not using an improved water source in Iran?
People in rural areas not using an improved water source in Iran was 177,028 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 Iran?
The highest recorded value was 2.06 million people in 2000.
What is the lowest people in rural areas not using an improved water source recorded in Iran?
The lowest recorded value was 177,028 people in 2024.
How does Iran rank for people in rural areas not using an improved water source?
Iran ranks 76th out of 178 countries with data for 2024.
Is people in rural areas not using an improved water source rising or falling in Iran?
Over the last ten years it is down 80.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Iran 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.