Using at least basic drinking water sources in urban vs. rural areas in Nigeria
Nigeria: Using at least basic drinking water sources in urban vs. rural areas was 95.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Using at least basic drinking water sources in urban vs. rural areas in Nigeria, 2000–2024
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Nigeria recorded 95.1% 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 0.7% on the previous year and up 13.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, using at least basic drinking water sources in urban vs. rural areas in Nigeria peaked at 95.1% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 68.7%, in 2000.
Nigeria ranks 133rd 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 Nigeria, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 68.7% | — |
| 2001 | 69.3% | +0.8% |
| 2002 | 70.3% | +1.5% |
| 2003 | 71.4% | +1.5% |
| 2004 | 72.5% | +1.5% |
| 2005 | 73.6% | +1.5% |
| 2006 | 74.7% | +1.5% |
| 2007 | 75.7% | +1.5% |
| 2008 | 76.9% | +1.5% |
| 2009 | 78.0% | +1.5% |
| 2010 | 79.1% | +1.4% |
| 2011 | 80.2% | +1.4% |
| 2012 | 81.4% | +1.4% |
| 2013 | 82.5% | +1.4% |
| 2014 | 83.7% | +1.4% |
| 2015 | 84.8% | +1.4% |
| 2016 | 86.0% | +1.4% |
| 2017 | 87.2% | +1.4% |
| 2018 | 88.4% | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 89.6% | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 90.8% | +1.3% |
| 2021 | 92.0% | +1.3% |
| 2022 | 93.2% | +1.3% |
| 2023 | 94.4% | +1.3% |
| 2024 | 95.1% | +0.7% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 95.1% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 94.4%, 1.0× the median. (44 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 95.1% 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 | 73.1% | 68.7% | 78.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 84.3% | 79.1% | 89.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 93.1% | 90.8% | 95.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
- 130 Senegal 95.4% compare
- 131 El Salvador 95.2% compare
- 132 Cape Verde 95.1% compare
- 134 Indonesia 95.0% compare
- 135 Tajikistan 94.9% compare
- 136 Bosnia and Herzegovina 94.9% compare
More environment data for Nigeria
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -5.73 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -5.07 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.281 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.15 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 3.78 % 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 0.4617 % 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 Nigeria?
- Using at least basic drinking water sources in urban vs. rural areas in Nigeria was 95.1% 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 Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 95.1% in 2024.
- What is the lowest using at least basic drinking water sources in urban vs. rural areas recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 68.7% in 2000.
- How does Nigeria rank for using at least basic drinking water sources in urban vs. rural areas?
- Nigeria ranks 133rd 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 Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nigeria 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.