Share of population not using improved drinking water sources in Rwanda

Rwanda: Share of population not using improved drinking water sources was 15.8% in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
15.8%
Change on year
down 4.4%
World rank
26th
of 231 countries
All-time high
33.4%
in 2000
All-time low
15.8%
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

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

01020302000201220242000: 33.4 %2001: 32.5 %2002: 31.6 %2003: 30.9 %2004: 30.1 %2005: 29.4 %2006: 28.7 %2007: 28 %2008: 27.3 %2009: 26.6 %2010: 25.9 %2011: 25.2 %2012: 24.5 %2013: 23.8 %2014: 23.1 %2015: 22.3 %2016: 21.6 %2017: 20.9 %2018: 20.2 %2019: 19.5 %2020: 18.7 %2021: 18 %2022: 17.3 %2023: 16.6 %2024: 15.8 %

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 Rwanda stood at 15.8%. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.4% on the previous year and down 31.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population not using improved drinking water sources in Rwanda peaked at 33.4% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 15.8%, in 2024.

Rwanda ranks 26th of 231 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 29.9% 26.6% 33.4% 10
2010s 22.7% 19.5% 25.9% 10
2020s 17.3% 15.8% 18.7% 5

Countries ranked near Rwanda

  1. 23 Ethiopia 16.7% compare
  2. 24 Kiribati 16.4% compare
  3. 25 Congo 16.2% compare
  4. 27 Cote d'Ivoire 15.8% compare
  5. 28 Haiti 15.6% compare
  6. 29 Afghanistan 15.2% compare

See the full ranking of 231 places →

More environment data for Rwanda

All data for Rwanda →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population not using improved drinking water sources in Rwanda?
Share of population not using improved drinking water sources in Rwanda was 15.8% 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 Rwanda?
The highest recorded value was 33.4% in 2000.
What is the lowest share of population not using improved drinking water sources recorded in Rwanda?
The lowest recorded value was 15.8% in 2024.
How does Rwanda rank for share of population not using improved drinking water sources?
Rwanda ranks 26th out of 231 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of population not using improved drinking water sources rising or falling in Rwanda?
Over the last ten years it is down 31.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Rwanda 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.