Wastewater - connection rates to treatment — Public total treatment in South Africa
South Africa: Wastewater - connection rates to treatment — Public total treatment was 65.5 Percentage of population in 2023. ▲ Rising
Wastewater - connection rates to treatment — Public total treatment in South Africa, 2002–2023
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage of population.
Analysis
In 2023, wastewater - connection rates to treatment — public total treatment in South Africa stood at 65.5 Percentage of population. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.1% on the previous year and up 14.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, wastewater - connection rates to treatment — public total treatment in South Africa peaked at 65.5 Percentage of population in 2023 and was at its lowest, 50 Percentage of population, in 2002.
That places South Africa 27th out of 36 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Wastewater - connection rates to treatment — Public total treatment in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Percentage of population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 50 Percentage of population | — |
| 2003 | 50 Percentage of population | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 52 Percentage of population | +4.0% |
| 2005 | 54 Percentage of population | +3.8% |
| 2006 | 55 Percentage of population | +1.9% |
| 2007 | 57 Percentage of population | +3.6% |
| 2011 | 57 Percentage of population | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 58 Percentage of population | +1.8% |
| 2017 | 57 Percentage of population | -1.7% |
| 2018 | 58 Percentage of population | +1.8% |
| 2019 | 57 Percentage of population | -1.7% |
| 2020 | 57 Percentage of population | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 56 Percentage of population | -1.8% |
| 2022 | 64.8 Percentage of population | +15.7% |
| 2023 | 65.5 Percentage of population | +1.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 53 Percentage of population | 50 Percentage of population | 57 Percentage of population | 6 |
| 2010s | 57.4 Percentage of population | 57 Percentage of population | 58 Percentage of population | 5 |
| 2020s | 60.83 Percentage of population | 56 Percentage of population | 65.5 Percentage of population | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More environment data for South Africa
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 5.46 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 8.52 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.275 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.05 °C (2025)
- Sawnwood, non-coniferous — Export quantity, annual growth rate -51.31 % change on previous year (2024)
- Sawnwood, non-coniferous — Export quantity, per unit of GDP 0 m3 per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Sawnwood, non-coniferous — Export quantity, per capita 0.0001 m3 per person (2024)
- Sawnwood, non-coniferous — Export value, annual growth rate -6.21 % change on previous year (2024)
- Sawnwood, non-coniferous — Export value, per unit of GDP 0 1000 USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is wastewater - connection rates to treatment — public total treatment in South Africa?
- Wastewater - connection rates to treatment — public total treatment in South Africa was 65.5 Percentage of population in 2023, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- What is the highest wastewater - connection rates to treatment — public total treatment recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 65.5 Percentage of population in 2023.
- What is the lowest wastewater - connection rates to treatment — public total treatment recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 50 Percentage of population in 2002.
- How does South Africa rank for wastewater - connection rates to treatment — public total treatment?
- South Africa ranks 27th out of 36 countries with data for 2023.
- Is wastewater - connection rates to treatment — public total treatment rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Wastewater - connection rates to treatment — Public total treatment. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
This dataset provides information on the level of public equipment installed by countries to managed and abate water pollution. It shows the percentage of national population connected to "public" sewerage networks and related treatment facilities, and the percentage of national population connected to "public" wastewater treatment plants, and the degree of treatment. Connected here means actually connected to a wastewater plants through a public sewage network. When analysing these data, it should be kept in mind that the optimal connection rate is not necessarily 100%. It may vary among countries and depends on geographical features and on the spatial distribution of habitats. The interpretation of those data should take into account some variations in countries' definitions, as reflected in metadata. Data source(s): Joint OECD/Eurostat questionnaire on Inland Waters. Data for non-OECD countries is sourced from UNSD (https://unstats.un.org/unsd/envstats/country_files) Contact: ENV.Stat@oecd.org Dataset release date: August 7, 2026 Country metadata - Métadonnées pays