Share of population not using improved drinking water sources in Iran

Iran: Share of population not using improved drinking water sources was 0.3% in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
0.3%
Change on year
down 27.9%
World rank
150th
of 231 countries
All-time high
3.6%
in 2000
All-time low
0.3%
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

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

012342000201220242000: 3.6 %2001: 3.4 %2002: 3.2 %2003: 3 %2004: 2.9 %2005: 2.7 %2006: 2.5 %2007: 2.4 %2008: 2.2 %2009: 2.1 %2010: 1.9 %2011: 1.8 %2012: 1.6 %2013: 1.5 %2014: 1.4 %2015: 1.3 %2016: 1.1 %2017: 1 %2018: 0.893 %2019: 0.78 %2020: 0.669 %2021: 0.561 %2022: 0.457 %2023: 0.355 %2024: 0.256 %

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 Iran is 0.3%, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 27.9% on the previous year and down 81.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population not using improved drinking water sources in Iran peaked at 3.6% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 0.3%, in 2024.

Iran ranks 150th of 231 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 2.8% 2.1% 3.6% 10
2010s 1.3% 0.8% 1.9% 10
2020s 0.5% 0.3% 0.7% 5

Countries ranked near Iran

  1. 148 Saudi Arabia 0.3% compare
  2. 149 Cyprus 0.3% compare
  3. 151 Sweden 0.2% compare
  4. 152 Oman 0.2% compare
  5. 153 North Macedonia 0.2% compare

See the full ranking of 231 places →

More environment data for Iran

All data for Iran →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population not using improved drinking water sources in Iran?
Share of population not using improved drinking water sources in Iran was 0.3% 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 Iran?
The highest recorded value was 3.6% in 2000.
What is the lowest share of population not using improved drinking water sources recorded in Iran?
The lowest recorded value was 0.3% in 2024.
How does Iran rank for share of population not using improved drinking water sources?
Iran ranks 150th out of 231 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of population not using improved drinking water sources rising or falling in Iran?
Over the last ten years it is down 81.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Iran 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.