Using at least basic drinking water sources in urban vs. rural areas in Canada

Canada: Using at least basic drinking water sources in urban vs. rural areas was 98.3% in 2024. ▬ Flat

Latest (2024)
98.3%
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
95th
of 188 countries
All-time high
99.8%
in 2000
All-time low
98.3%
in 2023
Years of data
25
2000–2024

Using at least basic drinking water sources in urban vs. rural areas in Canada, 2000–2024

0204060801002000201220242000: 99.8 %2001: 99.8 %2002: 99.8 %2003: 99.8 %2004: 99.8 %2005: 99.8 %2006: 99.7 %2007: 99.6 %2008: 99.5 %2009: 99.4 %2010: 99.3 %2011: 99.3 %2012: 99.2 %2013: 99.1 %2014: 99 %2015: 98.9 %2016: 98.8 %2017: 98.8 %2018: 98.7 %2019: 98.6 %2020: 98.5 %2021: 98.4 %2022: 98.3 %2023: 98.3 %2024: 98.3 %

Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

Canada recorded 98.3% for using at least basic drinking water sources in urban vs. rural areas in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, using at least basic drinking water sources in urban vs. rural areas in Canada peaked at 99.8% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 98.3%, in 2023.

That places Canada 95th out of 188 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 99.7% 99.4% 99.8% 10
2010s 99.0% 98.6% 99.3% 10
2020s 98.4% 98.3% 98.5% 5

Countries ranked near Canada

  1. 92 Morocco 98.3% compare
  2. 93 Philippines 98.3% compare
  3. 94 North Macedonia 98.3% compare
  4. 96 Tuvalu 98.2% compare
  5. 97 Eswatini 98.1% compare
  6. 98 Uzbekistan 98.1% compare

See the full ranking of 188 places →

More environment data for Canada

All data for Canada →

Frequently asked questions

What is using at least basic drinking water sources in urban vs. rural areas in Canada?
Using at least basic drinking water sources in urban vs. rural areas in Canada was 98.3% 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 Canada?
The highest recorded value was 99.8% in 2000.
What is the lowest using at least basic drinking water sources in urban vs. rural areas recorded in Canada?
The lowest recorded value was 98.3% in 2023.
How does Canada rank for using at least basic drinking water sources in urban vs. rural areas?
Canada ranks 95th 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 Canada?
Over the last ten years it is down 0.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Canada 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

Indicator
Using at least basic drinking water sources 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
188 places, 4,631 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed

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.