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

Uganda: Using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas was 40.0% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
40.0%
Change on year
up 0.1%
World rank
88th
of 105 countries
All-time high
40.0%
in 2024
All-time low
16.6%
in 2000
Years of data
25
2000–2024

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

0102030402000201220242000: 16.6 %2001: 17.8 %2002: 19 %2003: 20.2 %2004: 21.4 %2005: 22.6 %2006: 23.8 %2007: 25.1 %2008: 26.3 %2009: 27.5 %2010: 28.7 %2011: 29.9 %2012: 31.1 %2013: 32.4 %2014: 33.6 %2015: 34.8 %2016: 36 %2017: 37.3 %2018: 38.5 %2019: 39.7 %2020: 39.9 %2021: 39.9 %2022: 39.9 %2023: 39.9 %2024: 40 %

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 Uganda stood at 40.0%. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.

That represents a change of up 0.1% on the previous year and up 19.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas in Uganda peaked at 40.0% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 16.6%, in 2000.

That places Uganda 88th out of 105 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 22.0% 16.6% 27.5% 10
2010s 34.2% 28.7% 39.7% 10
2020s 39.9% 39.9% 40.0% 5

Countries ranked near Uganda

  1. 85 Tanzania 45.2% compare
  2. 86 Senegal 41.1% compare
  3. 87 Sao Tome and Principe 40.3% compare
  4. 89 Madagascar 38.6% compare
  5. 90 Ethiopia 38.4% compare
  6. 91 Vanuatu 38.3% compare

See the full ranking of 105 places →

More environment data for Uganda

All data for Uganda →

Frequently asked questions

What is using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas in Uganda?
Using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas in Uganda was 40.0% 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 Uganda?
The highest recorded value was 40.0% in 2024.
What is the lowest using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas recorded in Uganda?
The lowest recorded value was 16.6% in 2000.
How does Uganda rank for using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas?
Uganda ranks 88th out of 105 countries with data for 2024.
Is using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas rising or falling in Uganda?
Over the last ten years it is up 19.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Uganda 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.