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

Kenya: Using at least basic drinking water sources in urban vs. rural areas was 88.9% in 2024. ▬ Flat

Latest (2024)
88.9%
Change on year
up 0.2%
World rank
158th
of 188 countries
All-time high
88.9%
in 2024
All-time low
85.4%
in 2000
Years of data
25
2000–2024

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

0204060802000201220242000: 85.4 %2001: 85.5 %2002: 85.7 %2003: 85.8 %2004: 86 %2005: 86.1 %2006: 86.3 %2007: 86.4 %2008: 86.6 %2009: 86.7 %2010: 86.8 %2011: 87 %2012: 87.1 %2013: 87.3 %2014: 87.4 %2015: 87.6 %2016: 87.7 %2017: 87.9 %2018: 88 %2019: 88.2 %2020: 88.3 %2021: 88.4 %2022: 88.6 %2023: 88.7 %2024: 88.9 %

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 Kenya is 88.9%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 1.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, using at least basic drinking water sources in urban vs. rural areas in Kenya peaked at 88.9% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 85.4%, in 2000.

Kenya ranks 158th of 188 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 86.1% 85.4% 86.7% 10
2010s 87.5% 86.8% 88.2% 10
2020s 88.6% 88.3% 88.9% 5

Countries ranked near Kenya

  1. 155 Comoros 89.9% compare
  2. 156 Eritrea 89.7% compare
  3. 157 Mozambique 89.4% compare
  4. 159 Cote d'Ivoire 88.7% compare
  5. 160 Yemen 88.5% compare
  6. 161 Rwanda 87.8% compare

See the full ranking of 188 places →

More environment data for Kenya

All data for Kenya →

Frequently asked questions

What is using at least basic drinking water sources in urban vs. rural areas in Kenya?
Using at least basic drinking water sources in urban vs. rural areas in Kenya was 88.9% 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 Kenya?
The highest recorded value was 88.9% in 2024.
What is the lowest using at least basic drinking water sources in urban vs. rural areas recorded in Kenya?
The lowest recorded value was 85.4% in 2000.
How does Kenya rank for using at least basic drinking water sources in urban vs. rural areas?
Kenya ranks 158th 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 Kenya?
Over the last ten years it is up 1.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Kenya 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.