Using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas was 24.2% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas in Democratic Republic of Congo, 2000–2024
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas in Democratic Republic of Congo stood at 24.2%.
That represents a change of down 10.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 33.6% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 23.9%, in 2020.
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 98th of 105 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
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 Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 33.6% | — |
| 2001 | 33.1% | -1.2% |
| 2002 | 32.7% | -1.3% |
| 2003 | 32.3% | -1.3% |
| 2004 | 31.8% | -1.4% |
| 2005 | 31.4% | -1.4% |
| 2006 | 31.0% | -1.4% |
| 2007 | 30.5% | -1.5% |
| 2008 | 30.0% | -1.5% |
| 2009 | 29.6% | -1.6% |
| 2010 | 29.1% | -1.6% |
| 2011 | 28.6% | -1.7% |
| 2012 | 28.1% | -1.7% |
| 2013 | 27.6% | -1.8% |
| 2014 | 27.1% | -1.8% |
| 2015 | 26.6% | -1.9% |
| 2016 | 26.1% | -2.0% |
| 2017 | 25.5% | -2.0% |
| 2018 | 25.0% | -2.1% |
| 2019 | 24.5% | -2.2% |
| 2020 | 23.9% | -2.2% |
| 2021 | 24.0% | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 24.2% | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 24.2% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 24.2% | +0.0% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 24.2% is below the median for low income countries, which is 38.5%, 63% of the median. (14 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 24.2% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 45.2%, 53% of the median. (27 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 31.6% | 29.6% | 33.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 26.8% | 24.5% | 29.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 24.1% | 23.9% | 24.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
More environment data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), annual 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.26 % 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 5.2 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) (Mt) 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), per unit of 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas in Democratic Republic of Congo was 24.2% 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 Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 33.6% in 2000.
- What is the lowest using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 23.9% in 2020.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 98th out of 105 countries with data for 2024.
- Is using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo 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.