Share of population not using improved drinking water sources in Eritrea

Eritrea: Share of population not using improved drinking water sources was 30.6% in 2016. ▬ Flat

Latest (2016)
30.6%
Change on year
down 0.9%
World rank
7th
of 231 countries
All-time high
31.6%
in 2012
All-time low
30.6%
in 2016
Years of data
17
2000–2016

Share of population not using improved drinking water sources in Eritrea, 2000–2016

01020302000200820162000: 31.3 %2001: 31.4 %2002: 31.4 %2003: 31.4 %2004: 31.4 %2005: 31.4 %2006: 31.4 %2007: 31.3 %2008: 31.3 %2009: 31.4 %2010: 31.5 %2011: 31.6 %2012: 31.6 %2013: 31.4 %2014: 31.1 %2015: 30.8 %2016: 30.6 %

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

Analysis

In 2016, share of population not using improved drinking water sources in Eritrea stood at 30.6%. That is the lowest value across all 17 years on record.

The figure is down 0.9% on the previous year and down 2.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population not using improved drinking water sources in Eritrea peaked at 31.6% in 2012 and was at its lowest, 30.6%, in 2016.

Eritrea ranks 7th of 231 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 31.4% 31.3% 31.4% 10
2010s 31.2% 30.6% 31.6% 7

Countries ranked near Eritrea

  1. 4 Central African Republic 36.7% compare
  2. 5 Chad 35.2% compare
  3. 6 Equatorial Guinea 32.4% compare
  4. 8 Niger 29.8% compare
  5. 9 Kenya 25.6% compare
  6. 10 Mozambique 24.7% compare

See the full ranking of 231 places →

More environment data for Eritrea

All data for Eritrea →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population not using improved drinking water sources in Eritrea?
Share of population not using improved drinking water sources in Eritrea was 30.6% in 2016, 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 Eritrea?
The highest recorded value was 31.6% in 2012.
What is the lowest share of population not using improved drinking water sources recorded in Eritrea?
The lowest recorded value was 30.6% in 2016.
How does Eritrea rank for share of population not using improved drinking water sources?
Eritrea ranks 7th out of 231 countries with data for 2016.
Is share of population not using improved drinking water sources rising or falling in Eritrea?
Over the last ten years it is down 2.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Eritrea 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

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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.