Share of population not using improved drinking water sources in Australia

Australia: Share of population not using improved drinking water sources was 0.0% in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
0.0%
Change on year
up 0.2%
World rank
178th
of 231 countries
All-time high
0.3%
in 2001
All-time low
0.0%
in 2015
Years of data
25
2000–2024

Share of population not using improved drinking water sources in Australia, 2000–2024

00.10.20.32000201220242000: 0.288 %2001: 0.289 %2002: 0.288 %2003: 0.266 %2004: 0.244 %2005: 0.222 %2006: 0.2 %2007: 0.179 %2008: 0.157 %2009: 0.136 %2010: 0.117 %2011: 0.108 %2012: 0.099 %2013: 0.09 %2014: 0.039 %2015: 0.03 %2016: 0.03 %2017: 0.03 %2018: 0.03 %2019: 0.03 %2020: 0.03 %2021: 0.03 %2022: 0.03 %2023: 0.03 %2024: 0.03 %

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 population not using improved drinking water sources in Australia is 0.0%, measured in 2024.

That represents a change of up 0.2% on the previous year and down 21.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population not using improved drinking water sources in Australia peaked at 0.3% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 2015.

Australia ranks 178th of 231 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 0.2% 0.1% 0.3% 10
2010s 0.1% 0.0% 0.1% 10
2020s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 5

Countries ranked near Australia

  1. 175 Armenia 0.1% compare
  2. 176 Saint Lucia 0.1% compare
  3. 177 Bosnia and Herzegovina 0.0% compare
  4. 179 United States 0.0% compare
  5. 180 Qatar 0.0% compare
  6. 181 San Marino 0.0% compare

See the full ranking of 231 places →

More environment data for Australia

All data for Australia →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population not using improved drinking water sources in Australia?
Share of population not using improved drinking water sources in Australia was 0.0% 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 population not using improved drinking water sources recorded in Australia?
The highest recorded value was 0.3% in 2001.
What is the lowest share of population not using improved drinking water sources recorded in Australia?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 2015.
How does Australia rank for share of population not using improved drinking water sources?
Australia ranks 178th out of 231 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of population not using improved drinking water sources rising or falling in Australia?
Over the last ten years it is down 21.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Australia 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 population not using improved drinking water sources. 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
Share of population not using improved drinking water sources
Unit
%
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
231 places, 5,586 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed

Proportion 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.