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

Sweden: People in rural areas not using an improved water source was 5,240 people in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
5,240 people
Change on year
down 1.6%
World rank
114th
of 178 countries
All-time high
20,948 people
in 2000
All-time low
5,240 people
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

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

5.0k10.0k15.0k20.0k2000201220242000: 20.9k people2001: 20.3k people2002: 19.7k people2003: 19.0k people2004: 18.4k people2005: 17.8k people2006: 17.1k people2007: 16.4k people2008: 15.7k people2009: 15.1k people2010: 14.4k people2011: 13.7k people2012: 12.9k people2013: 12.1k people2014: 11.4k people2015: 10.6k people2016: 9.9k people2017: 9.3k people2018: 8.6k people2019: 7.9k people2020: 7.3k people2021: 6.6k people2022: 5.9k people2023: 5.3k people2024: 5.2k people

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

Analysis

Sweden recorded 5,240 people for people in rural areas not using an improved water source in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

The figure is down 1.6% on the previous year and down 53.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, people in rural areas not using an improved water source in Sweden peaked at 20,948 people in 2000 and was at its lowest, 5,240 people, in 2024.

That places Sweden 114th out of 178 countries with data for 2024, putting it 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 18,046 people 15,093 people 20,948 people 10
2010s 11,081 people 7,926 people 14,439 people 10
2020s 6,071 people 5,240 people 7,251 people 5

Countries ranked near Sweden

  1. 111 Oman 12,302 people compare
  2. 112 Cape Verde 10,287 people compare
  3. 113 Latvia 8,473 people compare
  4. 115 Trinidad and Tobago 4,117 people compare
  5. 116 Suriname 3,876 people compare
  6. 117 Sao Tome and Principe 3,680 people compare

See the full ranking of 178 places →

More environment data for Sweden

All data for Sweden →

Frequently asked questions

What is people in rural areas not using an improved water source in Sweden?
People in rural areas not using an improved water source in Sweden was 5,240 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 Sweden?
The highest recorded value was 20,948 people in 2000.
What is the lowest people in rural areas not using an improved water source recorded in Sweden?
The lowest recorded value was 5,240 people in 2024.
How does Sweden rank for people in rural areas not using an improved water source?
Sweden ranks 114th out of 178 countries with data for 2024.
Is people in rural areas not using an improved water source rising or falling in Sweden?
Over the last ten years it is down 53.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Sweden 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.