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

Poland: People in rural areas not using an improved water source was 2.79 million people in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
2.79 million people
Change on year
up 4.8%
World rank
27th
of 178 countries
All-time high
2.79 million people
in 2024
All-time low
524,162 people
in 2005
Years of data
20
2005–2024

People in rural areas not using an improved water source in Poland, 2005–2024

500.0k1.0M1.5M2.0M2.5M3.0M2005201420242005: 524.2k people2006: 524.9k people2007: 525.8k people2008: 526.9k people2009: 528.6k people2010: 677.4k people2011: 828.2k people2012: 979.1k people2013: 1.1M people2014: 1.3M people2015: 1.4M people2016: 1.6M people2017: 1.7M people2018: 1.9M people2019: 2.0M people2020: 2.2M people2021: 2.3M people2022: 2.5M people2023: 2.7M people2024: 2.8M people

Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.

Analysis

Poland recorded 2.79 million people for people in rural areas not using an improved water source in 2024. That is the highest value across all 20 years on record.

The figure is up 4.8% on the previous year and up 117.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, people in rural areas not using an improved water source in Poland peaked at 2.79 million people in 2024 and was at its lowest, 524,162 people, in 2005.

Poland ranks 27th of 178 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 526,071 people 524,162 people 528,553 people 5
2010s 1.36 million people 677,355 people 2.04 million people 10
2020s 2.49 million people 2.19 million people 2.79 million people 5

Countries ranked near Poland

  1. 24 Cameroon 3.03 million people compare
  2. 25 Zimbabwe 2.95 million people compare
  3. 26 Russia 2.89 million people compare
  4. 28 South Sudan 2.35 million people compare
  5. 29 Somalia 2.34 million people compare
  6. 30 Rwanda 2.17 million people compare

See the full ranking of 178 places →

More environment data for Poland

All data for Poland →

Frequently asked questions

What is people in rural areas not using an improved water source in Poland?
People in rural areas not using an improved water source in Poland was 2.79 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 Poland?
The highest recorded value was 2.79 million people in 2024.
What is the lowest people in rural areas not using an improved water source recorded in Poland?
The lowest recorded value was 524,162 people in 2005.
How does Poland rank for people in rural areas not using an improved water source?
Poland ranks 27th out of 178 countries with data for 2024.
Is people in rural areas not using an improved water source rising or falling in Poland?
Over the last ten years it is up 117.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Poland 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 — 20 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.