Using at least basic drinking water sources in urban vs. rural areas in Ghana
Ghana: Using at least basic drinking water sources in urban vs. rural areas was 99.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Using at least basic drinking water sources 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
The most recent figure for using at least basic drinking water sources in urban vs. rural areas in Ghana is 99.1%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.8% on the previous year and up 9.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, using at least basic drinking water sources in urban vs. rural areas in Ghana peaked at 99.1% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 80.4%, in 2000.
That places Ghana 75th out of 188 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 at least basic drinking water sources in urban vs. rural areas in Ghana, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 80.4% | — |
| 2001 | 80.7% | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 81.4% | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 82.2% | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 83.0% | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 83.8% | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 84.5% | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 85.3% | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 86.1% | +0.9% |
| 2009 | 86.9% | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 87.7% | +0.9% |
| 2011 | 88.5% | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 89.3% | +0.9% |
| 2013 | 90.1% | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 90.9% | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 91.7% | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 92.5% | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 93.3% | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 94.1% | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 95.0% | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 95.8% | +0.9% |
| 2021 | 96.6% | +0.9% |
| 2022 | 97.4% | +0.9% |
| 2023 | 98.2% | +0.8% |
| 2024 | 99.1% | +0.8% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 99.1% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 94.4%, 1.0× the median. (44 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 99.1% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 87.8%, 1.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 83.4% | 80.4% | 86.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 91.3% | 87.7% | 95.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 97.4% | 95.8% | 99.1% | 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)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.2663 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) (Mt CO2e) 9.09 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) (Mt CO2e), per 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 Ghana?
- Using at least basic drinking water sources in urban vs. rural areas in Ghana was 99.1% 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 Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 99.1% in 2024.
- What is the lowest using at least basic drinking water sources in urban vs. rural areas recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 80.4% in 2000.
- How does Ghana rank for using at least basic drinking water sources in urban vs. rural areas?
- Ghana ranks 75th 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 Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.0%. 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 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.