Share of population not using improved drinking water sources in Malaysia

Malaysia: Share of population not using improved drinking water sources was 1.7% in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
1.7%
Change on year
down 2.8%
World rank
106th
of 231 countries
All-time high
3.5%
in 2000
All-time low
1.7%
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

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

01232000201220242000: 3.5 %2001: 3.4 %2002: 3.3 %2003: 3.2 %2004: 3.1 %2005: 3 %2006: 2.9 %2007: 2.8 %2008: 2.7 %2009: 2.6 %2010: 2.6 %2011: 2.5 %2012: 2.4 %2013: 2.3 %2014: 2.3 %2015: 2.2 %2016: 2.1 %2017: 2.1 %2018: 2 %2019: 2 %2020: 1.9 %2021: 1.9 %2022: 1.8 %2023: 1.8 %2024: 1.7 %

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 Malaysia is 1.7%, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.8% on the previous year and down 25.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population not using improved drinking water sources in Malaysia peaked at 3.5% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 1.7%, in 2024.

That places Malaysia 106th 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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 3.1% 2.6% 3.5% 10
2010s 2.3% 2.0% 2.6% 10
2020s 1.8% 1.7% 1.9% 5

Countries ranked near Malaysia

  1. 103 Niue 1.9% compare
  2. 104 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 1.8% compare
  3. 105 Canada 1.7% compare
  4. 107 Georgia 1.7% compare
  5. 108 Nauru 1.6% compare
  6. 109 Sao Tome and Principe 1.6% compare

See the full ranking of 231 places →

More environment data for Malaysia

All data for Malaysia →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population not using improved drinking water sources in Malaysia?
Share of population not using improved drinking water sources in Malaysia was 1.7% 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 Malaysia?
The highest recorded value was 3.5% in 2000.
What is the lowest share of population not using improved drinking water sources recorded in Malaysia?
The lowest recorded value was 1.7% in 2024.
How does Malaysia rank for share of population not using improved drinking water sources?
Malaysia ranks 106th out of 231 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of population not using improved drinking water sources rising or falling in Malaysia?
Over the last ten years it is down 25.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Malaysia 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.