Using at least basic drinking water sources in urban vs. rural areas in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Using at least basic drinking water sources in urban vs. rural areas was 96.9% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Using at least basic drinking water sources in urban vs. rural areas in Afghanistan, 2000–2024
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Afghanistan recorded 96.9% for using at least basic drinking water sources in urban vs. rural areas in 2024. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 19.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, using at least basic drinking water sources in urban vs. rural areas in Afghanistan peaked at 96.9% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 57.1%, in 2000.
Afghanistan ranks 115th of 188 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
Using at least basic drinking water sources in urban vs. rural areas in Afghanistan, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 57.1% | — |
| 2001 | 57.1% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 58.9% | +3.1% |
| 2003 | 60.7% | +3.0% |
| 2004 | 62.5% | +2.9% |
| 2005 | 64.2% | +2.9% |
| 2006 | 66.0% | +2.8% |
| 2007 | 67.9% | +2.8% |
| 2008 | 69.8% | +2.8% |
| 2009 | 71.6% | +2.7% |
| 2010 | 73.5% | +2.6% |
| 2011 | 75.4% | +2.6% |
| 2012 | 77.3% | +2.5% |
| 2013 | 79.2% | +2.4% |
| 2014 | 81.1% | +2.4% |
| 2015 | 83.0% | +2.3% |
| 2016 | 84.9% | +2.3% |
| 2017 | 86.8% | +2.2% |
| 2018 | 88.7% | +2.2% |
| 2019 | 90.6% | +2.2% |
| 2020 | 92.5% | +2.1% |
| 2021 | 94.4% | +2.1% |
| 2022 | 96.4% | +2.0% |
| 2023 | 96.8% | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 96.9% | +0.1% |
Afghanistan compared with similar countries
- Afghanistan's 96.9% is above the median for low income countries, which is 86.0%, 1.1× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Afghanistan's 96.9% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 98.4%, 98% of the median. (19 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 63.6% | 57.1% | 71.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 82.0% | 73.5% | 90.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 95.4% | 92.5% | 96.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Afghanistan
More environment data for Afghanistan
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -19.95 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -17.12 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.547 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.96 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 1.85 % 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 0.7636 % 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 at least basic drinking water sources in urban vs. rural areas in Afghanistan?
- Using at least basic drinking water sources in urban vs. rural areas in Afghanistan was 96.9% 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 at least basic drinking water sources in urban vs. rural areas recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 96.9% in 2024.
- What is the lowest using at least basic drinking water sources in urban vs. rural areas recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 57.1% in 2000.
- How does Afghanistan rank for using at least basic drinking water sources in urban vs. rural areas?
- Afghanistan ranks 115th out of 188 countries with data for 2024.
- Is using at least basic drinking water sources in urban vs. rural areas rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 19.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Afghanistan 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 at least basic drinking water sources 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 who use an improved drinking water source, which is either located on their premises, or at a collection point, which takes no more than 30 minutes for a roundtrip.