Using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas in Ghana
Ghana: Using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas was 60.2% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas in Ghana, 2000–2024
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Ghana recorded 60.2% for using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas in 2024. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.
The figure is up 2.2% on the previous year and up 26.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas in Ghana peaked at 60.2% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 32.2%, in 2000.
That places Ghana 66th out of 105 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
Using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas in Ghana, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 32.2% | — |
| 2001 | 32.3% | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 33.4% | +3.5% |
| 2003 | 34.6% | +3.4% |
| 2004 | 35.7% | +3.3% |
| 2005 | 36.9% | +3.2% |
| 2006 | 38.0% | +3.1% |
| 2007 | 39.2% | +3.1% |
| 2008 | 40.4% | +3.0% |
| 2009 | 41.6% | +2.9% |
| 2010 | 42.7% | +2.9% |
| 2011 | 43.9% | +2.8% |
| 2012 | 45.1% | +2.7% |
| 2013 | 46.4% | +2.7% |
| 2014 | 47.6% | +2.6% |
| 2015 | 48.8% | +2.6% |
| 2016 | 50.1% | +2.5% |
| 2017 | 51.3% | +2.5% |
| 2018 | 52.6% | +2.4% |
| 2019 | 53.8% | +2.4% |
| 2020 | 55.1% | +2.4% |
| 2021 | 56.4% | +2.3% |
| 2022 | 57.7% | +2.3% |
| 2023 | 58.9% | +2.2% |
| 2024 | 60.2% | +2.2% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 60.2% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 55.4%, 1.1× the median. (29 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 60.2% 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 | 36.4% | 32.2% | 41.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 48.2% | 42.7% | 53.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 57.7% | 55.1% | 60.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
More environment data for Ghana
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -13.57 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -11.89 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.26 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.34 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.72 % 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 0.8796 % 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 Ghana?
- Using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas in Ghana was 60.2% 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 Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 60.2% in 2024.
- What is the lowest using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 32.2% in 2000.
- How does Ghana rank for using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas?
- Ghana ranks 66th out of 105 countries with data for 2024.
- Is using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is up 26.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ghana 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.