Share of population not using improved drinking water sources in India
India: Share of population not using improved drinking water sources was 1.9% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Share of population not using improved drinking water sources in India, 2000–2024
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, share of population not using improved drinking water sources in India stood at 1.9%. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 21.4% on the previous year and down 73.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population not using improved drinking water sources in India peaked at 15.7% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 1.9%, in 2024.
That places India 101st out of 231 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.
Share of population not using improved drinking water sources in India, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 15.7% | — |
| 2001 | 15.1% | -3.9% |
| 2002 | 14.5% | -4.1% |
| 2003 | 13.9% | -4.2% |
| 2004 | 13.3% | -4.4% |
| 2005 | 12.7% | -4.5% |
| 2006 | 12.1% | -4.7% |
| 2007 | 11.5% | -4.9% |
| 2008 | 10.9% | -5.2% |
| 2009 | 10.3% | -5.4% |
| 2010 | 9.7% | -5.7% |
| 2011 | 9.1% | -6.0% |
| 2012 | 8.5% | -6.3% |
| 2013 | 8.0% | -6.7% |
| 2014 | 7.4% | -7.2% |
| 2015 | 6.8% | -7.7% |
| 2016 | 6.3% | -8.2% |
| 2017 | 5.7% | -8.9% |
| 2018 | 5.2% | -9.7% |
| 2019 | 4.6% | -10.7% |
| 2020 | 4.1% | -11.8% |
| 2021 | 3.5% | -13.3% |
| 2022 | 3.0% | -15.2% |
| 2023 | 2.5% | -17.8% |
| 2024 | 1.9% | -21.4% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 1.9% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 8.0%, 24% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- India's 1.9% is above the median for South Asia, which is 1.2%, 1.6× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 13.0% | 10.3% | 15.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.1% | 4.6% | 9.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.0% | 1.9% | 4.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near India
More environment data for India
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 11.05 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 12.52 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.254 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 0.954 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 3.92 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate 1.12 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population not using improved drinking water sources in India?
- Share of population not using improved drinking water sources in India was 1.9% 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 India?
- The highest recorded value was 15.7% in 2000.
- What is the lowest share of population not using improved drinking water sources recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.9% in 2024.
- How does India rank for share of population not using improved drinking water sources?
- India ranks 101st out of 231 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of population not using improved drinking water sources rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is down 73.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this India 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.
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About this data
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.