Share of urban and rural population using safely managed drinking water in Zambia
Zambia: Share of urban and rural population using safely managed drinking water was 50.2% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of urban and rural population using safely managed drinking water in Zambia, 2000–2024
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of urban and rural population using safely managed drinking water in Zambia is 50.2%, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of down 0.6% on the previous year and down 5.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of urban and rural population using safely managed drinking water in Zambia peaked at 53.1% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 43.8%, in 2000.
Zambia ranks 80th of 105 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
Share of urban and rural population using safely managed drinking water in Zambia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 43.8% | — |
| 2001 | 44.5% | +1.6% |
| 2002 | 45.2% | +1.6% |
| 2003 | 45.9% | +1.6% |
| 2004 | 46.6% | +1.5% |
| 2005 | 47.3% | +1.5% |
| 2006 | 48.0% | +1.5% |
| 2007 | 48.7% | +1.5% |
| 2008 | 49.4% | +1.5% |
| 2009 | 50.2% | +1.5% |
| 2010 | 50.9% | +1.5% |
| 2011 | 51.6% | +1.4% |
| 2012 | 52.4% | +1.4% |
| 2013 | 53.1% | +1.4% |
| 2014 | 53.1% | -0.0% |
| 2015 | 52.8% | -0.5% |
| 2016 | 52.5% | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 52.3% | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 52.0% | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 51.7% | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 51.4% | -0.6% |
| 2021 | 51.1% | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 50.8% | -0.6% |
| 2023 | 50.5% | -0.6% |
| 2024 | 50.2% | -0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 47.0% | 43.8% | 50.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 52.2% | 50.9% | 53.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 50.8% | 50.2% | 51.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 77 Côte d'Ivoire 51.5% compare
- 78 Tonga 50.9% compare
- 79 Lao People's Democratic Republic 50.9% compare
- 81 Mozambique 47.5% compare
- 82 Dominican Republic 46.9% compare
- 83 Turks and Caicos Islands 46.5% compare
More environment data for Zambia
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -2.98 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -3.03 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.265 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.11 °C (2025)
- Paper and paperboard — Import quantity, annual growth rate -3.97 % change on previous year (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Import quantity, per unit of GDP 0 t per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Import quantity, per capita 0.0033 t per person (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Import value, annual growth rate -9.88 % change on previous year (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Import value, per unit of GDP 0 1000 USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of urban and rural population using safely managed drinking water in Zambia?
- Share of urban and rural population using safely managed drinking water in Zambia was 50.2% 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 share of urban and rural population using safely managed drinking water recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 53.1% in 2013.
- What is the lowest share of urban and rural population using safely managed drinking water recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 43.8% in 2000.
- How does Zambia rank for share of urban and rural population using safely managed drinking water?
- Zambia ranks 80th out of 105 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of urban and rural population using safely managed drinking water rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zambia 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 Share of urban and rural population using safely managed drinking water. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Proportion of people using an improved drinking water source that is located on premises, available when needed and free from fecal and priority chemical contamination.