People in rural areas not using an improved water source in Malawi
Malawi: People in rural areas not using an improved water source was 1.10 million people in 2024. ▼ Falling
People in rural areas not using an improved water source in Malawi, 2000–2024
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 Malawi stood at 1.10 million people. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 14.8% on the previous year and down 57.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, people in rural areas not using an improved water source in Malawi peaked at 3.48 million people in 2000 and was at its lowest, 1.10 million people, in 2024.
Malawi ranks 48th 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
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 3.27 million people | 3.02 million people | 3.48 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.51 million people | 1.96 million people | 2.95 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.46 million people | 1.10 million people | 1.80 million people | 5 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
More environment data for Malawi
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 19.02 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 0.8785 t CO2e/capita (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 5.42 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 0.7527 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 1.9 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 0.0074 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 9.34 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 0.0006 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 0.0087 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 1.25 Mt CO2e (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is people in rural areas not using an improved water source in Malawi?
- People in rural areas not using an improved water source in Malawi was 1.10 million 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 Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 3.48 million people in 2000.
- What is the lowest people in rural areas not using an improved water source recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.10 million people in 2024.
- How does Malawi rank for people in rural areas not using an improved water source?
- Malawi ranks 48th out of 178 countries with data for 2024.
- Is people in rural areas not using an improved water source rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 57.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malawi 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
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.