Using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas in Botswana
Botswana: Using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas was 68.9% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas in Botswana, 2000–2024
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 using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas in Botswana is 68.9%, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.1% on the previous year and down 10.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas in Botswana peaked at 84.1% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 68.9%, in 2024.
Botswana ranks 59th of 105 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas in Botswana, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 84.1% | — |
| 2001 | 84.0% | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 83.9% | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 83.9% | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 83.8% | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 83.7% | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 83.4% | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 82.6% | -1.0% |
| 2008 | 81.8% | -1.0% |
| 2009 | 80.9% | -1.0% |
| 2010 | 80.1% | -1.0% |
| 2011 | 79.3% | -1.0% |
| 2012 | 78.5% | -1.0% |
| 2013 | 77.7% | -1.0% |
| 2014 | 76.9% | -1.0% |
| 2015 | 76.1% | -1.1% |
| 2016 | 75.3% | -1.1% |
| 2017 | 74.5% | -1.1% |
| 2018 | 73.7% | -1.1% |
| 2019 | 72.9% | -1.1% |
| 2020 | 72.1% | -1.1% |
| 2021 | 71.3% | -1.1% |
| 2022 | 70.5% | -1.1% |
| 2023 | 69.7% | -1.1% |
| 2024 | 68.9% | -1.1% |
Botswana compared with similar countries
- Botswana's 68.9% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 75.7%, 91% of the median. (31 countries reporting)
- Botswana's 68.9% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 45.2%, 1.5× the median. (27 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 83.2% | 80.9% | 84.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 76.5% | 72.9% | 80.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 70.5% | 68.9% | 72.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Botswana
More environment data for Botswana
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 6.04 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 6.49 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.381 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 0.443 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -4.05 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate 0.3323 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas in Botswana?
- Using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas in Botswana was 68.9% 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 using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas recorded in Botswana?
- The highest recorded value was 84.1% in 2000.
- What is the lowest using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas recorded in Botswana?
- The lowest recorded value was 68.9% in 2024.
- How does Botswana rank for using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas?
- Botswana ranks 59th out of 105 countries with data for 2024.
- Is using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas rising or falling in Botswana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Botswana 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
Proportion of people using an improved drinking water source that is located on premises, available when needed and free from fecal and priority chemical contamination.