People using at least basic drinking water services in South Africa
South Africa: People using at least basic drinking water services was 90.2% in 2024. ▲ Rising
People using at least basic drinking water services in South Africa, 2000–2024
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene, World Health Organization (WHO). Measured in % of population.
Analysis
In 2024, people using at least basic drinking water services in South Africa stood at 90.2%.
That represents a change of down 0.3% on the previous year and down 2.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, people using at least basic drinking water services in South Africa peaked at 92.5% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 86.0%, in 2000.
South Africa ranks 153rd of 214 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.
People using at least basic drinking water services in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % of population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 86.0% | — |
| 2001 | 86.5% | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 87.0% | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 87.5% | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 88.0% | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 88.5% | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 89.0% | +0.5% |
| 2007 | 89.4% | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 89.9% | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 90.3% | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 90.8% | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 91.2% | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 91.7% | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 92.1% | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 92.5% | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 92.3% | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 92.1% | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 91.8% | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 91.6% | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 91.4% | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 91.2% | -0.3% |
| 2021 | 90.9% | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 90.7% | -0.3% |
| 2023 | 90.4% | -0.3% |
| 2024 | 90.2% | -0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 88.2% | 86.0% | 90.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 91.7% | 90.8% | 92.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 90.7% | 90.2% | 91.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More health data for South Africa
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.2 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.1386 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,152 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 3,333 deaths (2100)
- Population ages 0-14, female, annual growth rate 0.4769 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per capita 0.1279 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, annual growth rate 0.5816 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, per capita 0.1293 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is people using at least basic drinking water services in South Africa?
- People using at least basic drinking water services in South Africa was 90.2% in 2024, 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 South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 92.5% in 2014.
- What is the lowest people using at least basic drinking water services recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 86.0% in 2000.
- How does South Africa rank for people using at least basic drinking water services?
- South Africa ranks 153rd out of 214 countries with data for 2024.
- Is people using at least basic drinking water services rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
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.