People in rural areas not using an improved water source in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: People in rural areas not using an improved water source was 4.02 million people in 2024. ▬ Flat
Latest (2024)
4.02 million people
Change on year
down 2.2%
World rank
18th
of 178 countries
All-time high
4.54 million people
in 2013
All-time low
3.76 million people
in 2000
Years of data
25
2000–2024
People in rural areas not using an improved water source in Papua New Guinea, 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
Papua New Guinea recorded 4.02 million people for people in rural areas not using an improved water source in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.2% on the previous year and down 11.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, people in rural areas not using an improved water source in Papua New Guinea peaked at 4.54 million people in 2013 and was at its lowest, 3.76 million people, in 2000.
Papua New Guinea ranks 18th of 178 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
People in rural areas not using an improved water source in Papua New Guinea, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 3.76 million people | — |
| 2001 | 3.89 million people | +3.5% |
| 2002 | 4.02 million people | +3.4% |
| 2003 | 4.16 million people | +3.4% |
| 2004 | 4.30 million people | +3.4% |
| 2005 | 4.35 million people | +1.1% |
| 2006 | 4.39 million people | +1.0% |
| 2007 | 4.43 million people | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 4.46 million people | +0.8% |
| 2009 | 4.49 million people | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 4.51 million people | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 4.53 million people | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 4.54 million people | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 4.54 million people | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 4.54 million people | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 4.52 million people | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 4.50 million people | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 4.47 million people | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 4.43 million people | -0.8% |
| 2019 | 4.39 million people | -1.0% |
| 2020 | 4.33 million people | -1.3% |
| 2021 | 4.26 million people | -1.5% |
| 2022 | 4.19 million people | -1.8% |
| 2023 | 4.10 million people | -2.0% |
| 2024 | 4.02 million people | -2.2% |
Papua New Guinea compared with similar countries
- Papua New Guinea's 4.02 million people is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 796,634 people, 5.0× the median. (44 countries reporting)
- Papua New Guinea's 4.02 million people is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 142,459 people, 28.2× the median. (24 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 4.22 million people | 3.76 million people | 4.49 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.50 million people | 4.39 million people | 4.54 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.18 million people | 4.02 million people | 4.33 million people | 5 |
Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea
- 15 Afghanistan 6.49 million people compare
- 16 Uganda 5.95 million people compare
- 17 Angola 5.80 million people compare
- 19 Burkina Faso 3.92 million people compare
- 20 Cote d'Ivoire 3.75 million people compare
- 21 Zambia 3.56 million people compare
More environment data for Papua New Guinea
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 1.56 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 2.24 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.183 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 0.834 °C (2025)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.9266 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate 0.6032 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is people in rural areas not using an improved water source in Papua New Guinea?
- People in rural areas not using an improved water source in Papua New Guinea was 4.02 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 Papua New Guinea?
- The highest recorded value was 4.54 million people in 2013.
- What is the lowest people in rural areas not using an improved water source recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.76 million people in 2000.
- How does Papua New Guinea rank for people in rural areas not using an improved water source?
- Papua New Guinea ranks 18th out of 178 countries with data for 2024.
- Is people in rural areas not using an improved water source rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Papua New Guinea 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.