Share of population not using improved drinking water sources in Uganda

Uganda: Share of population not using improved drinking water sources was 13.9% in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
13.9%
Change on year
down 6.2%
World rank
30th
of 231 countries
All-time high
38.9%
in 2000
All-time low
13.9%
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

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

0102030402000201220242000: 38.9 %2001: 37.8 %2002: 36.6 %2003: 35.5 %2004: 34.4 %2005: 33.3 %2006: 32.2 %2007: 31.1 %2008: 30 %2009: 28.9 %2010: 27.8 %2011: 26.8 %2012: 25.7 %2013: 24.7 %2014: 23.6 %2015: 22.6 %2016: 21.6 %2017: 20.6 %2018: 19.6 %2019: 18.6 %2020: 17.6 %2021: 16.7 %2022: 15.7 %2023: 14.8 %2024: 13.9 %

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 Uganda stood at 13.9%. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

That represents a change of down 6.2% on the previous year and down 41.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population not using improved drinking water sources in Uganda peaked at 38.9% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 13.9%, in 2024.

Uganda ranks 30th 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 33.9% 28.9% 38.9% 10
2010s 23.2% 18.6% 27.8% 10
2020s 15.8% 13.9% 17.6% 5

Countries ranked near Uganda

  1. 27 Cote d'Ivoire 15.8% compare
  2. 28 Haiti 15.6% compare
  3. 29 Afghanistan 15.2% compare
  4. 31 Nigeria 13.8% compare
  5. 32 Guinea 13.8% compare
  6. 33 Cameroon 13.7% compare

See the full ranking of 231 places →

More environment data for Uganda

All data for Uganda →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population not using improved drinking water sources in Uganda?
Share of population not using improved drinking water sources in Uganda was 13.9% 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 Uganda?
The highest recorded value was 38.9% in 2000.
What is the lowest share of population not using improved drinking water sources recorded in Uganda?
The lowest recorded value was 13.9% in 2024.
How does Uganda rank for share of population not using improved drinking water sources?
Uganda ranks 30th out of 231 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of population not using improved drinking water sources rising or falling in Uganda?
Over the last ten years it is down 41.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Uganda 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.