Using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas in Australia

Australia: Using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas was 99.6% in 2024. ▬ Flat

Latest (2024)
99.6%
Change on year
down 0.0%
World rank
14th
of 105 countries
All-time high
99.7%
in 2015
All-time low
98.3%
in 2000
Years of data
25
2000–2024

Using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas in Australia, 2000–2024

0204060801002000201220242000: 98.3 %2001: 98.3 %2002: 98.3 %2003: 98.4 %2004: 98.6 %2005: 98.7 %2006: 98.8 %2007: 98.9 %2008: 99.1 %2009: 99.2 %2010: 99.3 %2011: 99.5 %2012: 99.6 %2013: 99.7 %2014: 99.7 %2015: 99.7 %2016: 99.7 %2017: 99.7 %2018: 99.7 %2019: 99.7 %2020: 99.7 %2021: 99.7 %2022: 99.7 %2023: 99.6 %2024: 99.6 %

Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

Australia recorded 99.6% for using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas in 2024.

That represents a change of down 0.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas in Australia peaked at 99.7% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 98.3%, in 2000.

Australia ranks 14th of 105 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 98.7% 98.3% 99.2% 10
2010s 99.6% 99.3% 99.7% 10
2020s 99.7% 99.6% 99.7% 5

Countries ranked near Australia

  1. 11 Germany 100.0% compare
  2. 13 Spain 99.7% compare
  3. 15 Israel 99.5% compare
  4. 16 Lithuania 99.3% compare
  5. 17 Chile 99.2% compare

See the full ranking of 105 places →

More environment data for Australia

All data for Australia →

Frequently asked questions

What is using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas in Australia?
Using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas in Australia was 99.6% 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 using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas recorded in Australia?
The highest recorded value was 99.7% in 2015.
What is the lowest using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas recorded in Australia?
The lowest recorded value was 98.3% in 2000.
How does Australia rank for using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas?
Australia ranks 14th out of 105 countries with data for 2024.
Is using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas rising or falling in Australia?
Over the last ten years it is down 0.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Australia 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 Using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas. 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
Using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas
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
105 places, 2,610 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed

Proportion of people using an improved drinking water source that is located on premises, available when needed and free from faecal and priority chemical contamination.