Using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas in Congo
Congo: Using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas was 58.6% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas in Congo, 2000–2021
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Congo recorded 58.6% for using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas in 2021. That is the highest value across all 22 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas in Congo peaked at 58.6% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 41.8%, in 2000.
Congo ranks 67th of 105 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.
Using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas in Congo, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 41.8% | — |
| 2001 | 41.8% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 41.9% | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 42.0% | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 43.9% | +4.5% |
| 2005 | 45.8% | +4.4% |
| 2006 | 47.7% | +4.2% |
| 2007 | 49.6% | +4.0% |
| 2008 | 51.6% | +3.9% |
| 2009 | 53.5% | +3.8% |
| 2010 | 55.4% | +3.6% |
| 2011 | 57.4% | +3.5% |
| 2012 | 58.2% | +1.4% |
| 2013 | 58.3% | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 58.4% | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 58.5% | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 58.5% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 58.6% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 58.6% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 58.6% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 58.6% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 58.6% | +0.0% |
Congo compared with similar countries
- Congo's 58.6% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 55.4%, 1.1× the median. (29 countries reporting)
- Congo's 58.6% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 45.2%, 1.3× the median. (27 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 46.0% | 41.8% | 53.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 58.1% | 55.4% | 58.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 58.6% | 58.6% | 58.6% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Congo
More environment data for Congo
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -9.96 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -6.68 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.202 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.13 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.8453 % 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 -0.4756 % 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 Congo?
- Using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas in Congo was 58.6% in 2021, 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 Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 58.6% in 2017.
- What is the lowest using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas recorded in Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 41.8% in 2000.
- How does Congo rank for using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas?
- Congo ranks 67th out of 105 countries with data for 2021.
- Is using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas rising or falling in Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this 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 — 22 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.