People using at least basic drinking water services in North Korea

North Korea: People using at least basic drinking water services was 93.9% in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
93.9%
Change on year
up 0.0%
World rank
136th
of 214 countries
All-time high
99.3%
in 2000
All-time low
93.8%
in 2019
Years of data
24
2000–2023

People using at least basic drinking water services in North Korea, 2000–2023

0204060801002000201120232000: 99.3 % of population2001: 99.3 % of population2002: 99.3 % of population2003: 99.3 % of population2004: 99.2 % of population2005: 98.9 % of population2006: 98.5 % of population2007: 98.1 % of population2008: 97.7 % of population2009: 97.4 % of population2010: 97 % of population2011: 96.7 % of population2012: 96.3 % of population2013: 95.9 % of population2014: 95.6 % of population2015: 95.2 % of population2016: 94.9 % of population2017: 94.5 % of population2018: 94.2 % of population2019: 93.8 % of population2020: 93.8 % of population2021: 93.9 % of population2022: 93.9 % of population2023: 93.9 % of population

Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene, World Health Organization (WHO). Measured in % of population.

Analysis

North Korea recorded 93.9% for people using at least basic drinking water services in 2023.

That represents a change of down 2.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, people using at least basic drinking water services in North Korea peaked at 99.3% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 93.8%, in 2019.

North Korea ranks 136th of 214 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.

People using at least basic drinking water services in North Korea, year by year

Annual values for People using at least basic drinking water services (% of population) in North Korea, 2000 to 2023.
Year % of population Change
2000 99.3%
2001 99.3% -0.0%
2002 99.3% -0.0%
2003 99.3% -0.0%
2004 99.2% -0.1%
2005 98.9% -0.4%
2006 98.5% -0.4%
2007 98.1% -0.4%
2008 97.7% -0.4%
2009 97.4% -0.4%
2010 97.0% -0.4%
2011 96.7% -0.4%
2012 96.3% -0.4%
2013 95.9% -0.4%
2014 95.6% -0.4%
2015 95.2% -0.4%
2016 94.9% -0.4%
2017 94.5% -0.4%
2018 94.2% -0.4%
2019 93.8% -0.4%
2020 93.8% +0.0%
2021 93.9% +0.0%
2022 93.9% +0.0%
2023 93.9% +0.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 98.7% 97.4% 99.3% 10
2010s 95.4% 93.8% 97.0% 10
2020s 93.9% 93.8% 93.9% 4

Countries ranked near North Korea

  1. 133 Kyrgyzstan 94.9% compare
  2. 134 Belize 94.8% compare
  3. 135 Syria 94.1% compare
  4. 137 Nepal 93.6% compare
  5. 138 Ukraine 93.5% compare
  6. 139 Bolivia 93.4% compare

See the full ranking of 261 places →

More health data for North Korea

All data for North Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is people using at least basic drinking water services in North Korea?
People using at least basic drinking water services in North Korea was 93.9% in 2023, according to WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene, World Health Organization (WHO).
What is the highest people using at least basic drinking water services recorded in North Korea?
The highest recorded value was 99.3% in 2000.
What is the lowest people using at least basic drinking water services recorded in North Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 93.8% in 2019.
How does North Korea rank for people using at least basic drinking water services?
North Korea ranks 136th out of 214 countries with data for 2023.
Is people using at least basic drinking water services rising or falling in North Korea?
Over the last ten years it is down 2.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this North Korea data come from?
The figures come from WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene, World Health Organization (WHO), published as part of People using at least basic drinking water services (% of population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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People using at least basic drinking water services in North Korea. Statizoid, drawing on WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene, World Health Organization (WHO). Retrieved 01 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/people-using-at-least-basic-drinking-water-services-percent-of-population/korea-dem-people-s-rep/

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About this data

Indicator
People using at least basic drinking water services (% of population)
Unit
% of population
Source
WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene, World Health Organization (WHO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
261 places, 6,373 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed

The percentage of people using at least basic water services. This indicator encompasses both people using basic water services as well as those using safely managed water services. Basic drinking water services is defined as drinking water from an improved source, provided collection time is not more than 30 minutes for a round trip. Improved water sources include piped water, boreholes or tubewells, protected dug wells, protected springs, and packaged or delivered water.