People using at least basic drinking water services, rural (% of) in Malawi

Malawi: People using at least basic drinking water services, rural (% of) was 60.8% in 2017. ▲ Rising

Latest (2017)
60.8%
Change on year
up 2.1%
World rank
53rd
of 97 countries
All-time high
60.8%
in 2017
All-time low
39.2%
in 2000
Years of data
18
2000–2017

People using at least basic drinking water services, rural (% of) in Malawi, 2000–2017

02040602000200820172000: 39.2 lowest2001: 40.4 lowest2002: 41.7 lowest2003: 43 lowest2004: 44.3 lowest2005: 45.5 lowest2006: 46.8 lowest2007: 48.1 lowest2008: 49.3 lowest2009: 50.6 lowest2010: 51.9 lowest2011: 53.2 lowest2012: 54.4 lowest2013: 55.7 lowest2014: 57 lowest2015: 58.2 lowest2016: 59.5 lowest2017: 60.8 lowest

Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (washdata.org). Measured in lowest.

Analysis

The most recent figure for people using at least basic drinking water services, rural (% of) in Malawi is 60.8%, measured in 2017. That is the highest value across all 18 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.1% on the previous year and up 26.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, people using at least basic drinking water services, rural (% of) in Malawi peaked at 60.8% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 39.2%, in 2000.

Malawi ranks 53rd of 97 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 18 years of available data.

People using at least basic drinking water services, rural (% of) in Malawi, year by year

Annual values for People using at least basic drinking water services, rural (% of rural population): Q1 (lowest) in Malawi, 2000 to 2017.
Year lowest Change
2000 39.2%
2001 40.4% +3.2%
2002 41.7% +3.1%
2003 43.0% +3.0%
2004 44.3% +3.0%
2005 45.5% +2.9%
2006 46.8% +2.8%
2007 48.1% +2.7%
2008 49.3% +2.6%
2009 50.6% +2.6%
2010 51.9% +2.5%
2011 53.2% +2.4%
2012 54.4% +2.4%
2013 55.7% +2.3%
2014 57.0% +2.3%
2015 58.2% +2.2%
2016 59.5% +2.2%
2017 60.8% +2.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 44.9% 39.2% 50.6% 10
2010s 56.3% 51.9% 60.8% 8

Countries ranked near Malawi

  1. 50 Gambia 65.9% compare
  2. 51 Peru 64.2% compare
  3. 52 Indonesia 62.9% compare
  4. 54 Cambodia 59.0% compare
  5. 55 Colombia 57.8% compare
  6. 56 Guinea 56.8% compare

See the full ranking of 97 places →

More health data for Malawi

All data for Malawi →

Frequently asked questions

What is people using at least basic drinking water services, rural (% of) in Malawi?
People using at least basic drinking water services, rural (% of) in Malawi was 60.8% in 2017, according to WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (washdata.org).
What is the highest people using at least basic drinking water services, rural (% of) recorded in Malawi?
The highest recorded value was 60.8% in 2017.
What is the lowest people using at least basic drinking water services, rural (% of) recorded in Malawi?
The lowest recorded value was 39.2% in 2000.
How does Malawi rank for people using at least basic drinking water services, rural (% of)?
Malawi ranks 53rd out of 97 countries with data for 2017.
Is people using at least basic drinking water services, rural (% of) rising or falling in Malawi?
Over the last ten years it is up 26.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Malawi data come from?
The figures come from WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (washdata.org), published as part of People using at least basic drinking water services, rural (% of rural population): Q1 (lowest). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 18 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

People using at least basic drinking water services, rural (% of) in Malawi. Statizoid, drawing on WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (washdata.org). Retrieved 02 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/people-using-at-least-basic-drinking-water-services-rural-percent-of-rural-population-q1/malawi/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://health.statizoid.com/stat/people-using-at-least-basic-drinking-water-services-rural-percent-of-rural-population-q1/malawi/">People using at least basic drinking water services, rural (% of) in Malawi</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
People using at least basic drinking water services, rural (% of rural population): Q1 (lowest)
Unit
lowest
Source
WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (washdata.org)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
97 places, 1,663 data points, 2000–2017
Last refreshed