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

Mexico: People in rural areas not using an improved water source was 600,167 people in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
600,167 people
Change on year
down 21.7%
World rank
60th
of 178 countries
All-time high
4.68 million people
in 2000
All-time low
600,167 people
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

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

1.0M2.0M3.0M4.0M5.0M2000201220242000: 4.7M people2001: 4.5M people2002: 4.4M people2003: 4.2M people2004: 4.0M people2005: 3.9M people2006: 3.7M people2007: 3.5M people2008: 3.4M people2009: 3.2M people2010: 3.0M people2011: 2.9M people2012: 2.7M people2013: 2.5M people2014: 2.3M people2015: 2.2M people2016: 2.0M people2017: 1.8M people2018: 1.6M people2019: 1.5M people2020: 1.3M people2021: 1.1M people2022: 934.0k people2023: 766.1k people2024: 600.2k 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 Mexico is 600,167 people, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 21.7% on the previous year and down 74.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, people in rural areas not using an improved water source in Mexico peaked at 4.68 million people in 2000 and was at its lowest, 600,167 people, in 2024.

Mexico ranks 60th 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 3.94 million people 3.20 million people 4.68 million people 10
2010s 2.25 million people 1.45 million people 3.03 million people 10
2020s 937,070 people 600,167 people 1.28 million people 5

Countries ranked near Mexico

  1. 57 Tajikistan 714,996 people compare
  2. 58 Guatemala 707,323 people compare
  3. 59 Bangladesh 628,637 people compare
  4. 61 Liberia 596,153 people compare
  5. 62 Nepal 543,050 people compare
  6. 63 Mauritania 508,969 people compare

See the full ranking of 178 places →

More environment data for Mexico

All data for Mexico →

Frequently asked questions

What is people in rural areas not using an improved water source in Mexico?
People in rural areas not using an improved water source in Mexico was 600,167 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 Mexico?
The highest recorded value was 4.68 million people in 2000.
What is the lowest people in rural areas not using an improved water source recorded in Mexico?
The lowest recorded value was 600,167 people in 2024.
How does Mexico rank for people in rural areas not using an improved water source?
Mexico ranks 60th out of 178 countries with data for 2024.
Is people in rural areas not using an improved water source rising or falling in Mexico?
Over the last ten years it is down 74.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Mexico 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.