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% Who Lack Access

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Safe Drinking Water by Country 2024

There are lots of countries that have very safe drinking water. It is important to remember that countries are very big places, so there might be safe drinking water in one area of the country but not in another. Even though plenty of countries have drinking water that is entirely safe, Switzerland is widely considered to have the safest drinking water on earth. It is a country that is high in the Alpine mountains with plenty of fresh water from the snowpack that melts. In addition, Switzerland also has exceptionally good government policies that protect the quality of its drinking water. If you ever go to Switzerland, the water is perfectly safe to drink.

Does the United States Have Safe Drinking Water?

Yes, the drinking water in the United States is safe. At the same time, there are some areas of the country that may not have a lot of access to clean drinking water. For example, A lot of people are familiar with what happened in the town of Flint, Michigan, where the water was heavily contaminated. It led to a number of significant health concerns, and there are some children who have developed complications that will last for the rest of their lives. The situation in Flint is a rarity, but it is important for the United States to redouble its efforts to make sure that everyone in the country has access to plenty of clean water. Work is still being done to reverse what happened in Flint.

What Countries Have Access to the Most Clean Drinking Water Per Capita?

In addition to thinking about countries that have access to clean water, it is also important to think about countries that have access to a lot of water. It should come as no surprise that island nations have a lot of access to clean water. For example, Antigua, Barbados, Dominica, and Cape Verde all have access to a tremendous amount of clean water. Many of these countries are responsible for exporting clean water to areas of the world that may not have a lot of it. Countries that have access to plenty of clean water have a responsibility to provide clean water to other countries that may not have enough of it.

Which Country Has the Least Access To Clean Water?

Just as there are countries that have a lot of clean water, there are other countries that do not have a lot of clean water. Overall, Eritrea is widely considered to be a country that does not have access to enough basic water services. It is believed that only 20 percent of people who live in Eritrea have access to clean water. This means that a lot of people in the country are struggling to find water to cook, drink, and bathe with. It is incumbent on the developed world to make sure that countries that are still developing have access to the clean water they need to provide their citizens with basic human services.

Download Table Data

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Country
Lack Access to Safe Drinking Water
% Who Lack Access
Papua New Guinea5.2M60%
Equatorial Guinea701.8K52.1%
Angola14.3M51%
Chad7M49.2%
Mozambique13.1M48.9%
Madagascar12.1M48.5%
DR Congo37.4M47.6%
Afghanistan15.1M44.7%
Sudan17M44.5%
Tanzania23.3M44.4%
Ethiopia43.8M42.7%
Haiti4.5M42.3%
Eritrea1.4M42.2%
Mauritania1.7M42.1%
Niger8.4M41.8%
Palestine1.9M41.6%
South Sudan4.6M41.3%
Sierra Leone2.7M37.4%
Togo2.8M36.9%
Kenya17.2M36.8%
Mongolia1.1M35.6%
Zambia5.6M34.6%
Kiribati38.6K33.1%
Nigeria58M31.5%
Central African Republic1.5M31.5%
Tajikistan2.2M26.2%
Eswatini293.7K25.9%
Cambodia777.3K24.5%
Cameroon5.6M24.4%
Liberia1.1M24.4%
Laos1.6M24.3%
Burundi2.6M24.1%
Guinea2.7M23.2%
Zimbabwe3.3M23.1%
Mali4.2M23%
Benin2.4M22.1%
Senegal3.1M21.5%
Uganda7.9M21%
Myanmar10M19.4%
Solomon Islands117.6K19.2%
Lesotho385.6K18.2%
Ivory Coast4.3M18.1%
Burkina Faso3.3M17.7%
Algeria6.5M16.4%
Dominican Republic1.6M15.3%
Morocco5.1M14.6%
Iraq5.1M13.4%
Peru4.1M13.3%
Bangladesh20.7M13.1%
Ecuador2.1M13.1%
Azerbaijan1.3M13%
Nicaragua818.8K13%
Indonesia32.6M12.6%
Moldova380.2K11.6%
Ghana3.3M11.3%
Micronesia57.6K11%
Bolivia1.1M10%
Kyrgyzstan591.5K10%
Djibouti100.6K10%
Syria1.9M9.9%
Malawi1.7M9.8%
Gambia220.8K9.8%
Namibia205.4K9%
Honduras817.9K8.8%
Pakistan18.1M8.6%
Colombia4.1M8.6%
Nepal2.3M8.4%
Cape Verde45.8K8.3%
Philippines8.4M8.2%
Guatemala1.2M7.2%
Kazakhstan1.3M7.1%
Venezuela2.1M6.9%
South Africa3.8M6.8%
Gabon137.9K6.8%
Oman276.7K6.6%
El Salvador386.3K6.2%
Jamaica173.3K6.2%
India78M5.9%
Vanuatu15.2K5.5%
Marshall Islands2.7K5.4%
Panama209.7K5.3%
Suriname29.9K5.2%
Cuba578.3K5.1%
Albania141.2K4.9%
Trinidad and Tobago71.5K4.9%
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines5.2K4.9%
China62.7M4.5%
Sri Lanka938.8K4.4%
Fiji39.4K4.3%
Seychelles4.3K4.3%
Mexico4.7M3.9%
Iran3.1M3.8%
Ukraine1.7M3.8%
Botswana87.6K3.8%
Saint Lucia6.5K3.7%
Lithuania100.8K3.4%
Grenada4K3.4%
Russia4.5M3.1%
Jordan294.3K3.1%
Saudi Arabia982.5K3%
Sao Tome and Principe5.8K2.9%
Vietnam2.2M2.4%
Tunisia265.8K2.3%
Tuvalu2502.3%
Thailand1.5M2.2%
Costa Rica107.7K2.2%
Ireland98K2.1%
Antigua and Barbuda1.9K2.1%
Paraguay123.6K2%
Brazil3.9M1.9%
Malaysia559.2K1.8%
Poland655.4K1.7%
Guyana12.8K1.7%
Saint Kitts and Nevis8121.7%
Bahamas6.3K1.6%
Niue281.5%
Chile178.7K1%
Lebanon64K1%
Kuwait39.1K1%
Samoa2K1%
Argentina389.3K0.9%
United States2.6M0.8%
Serbia60.2K0.8%
Latvia13.9K0.7%
Egypt586.3K0.6%
Bulgaria43.9K0.6%
North Macedonia12.6K0.6%
Slovenia10.4K0.5%
Belize1.8K0.5%
United Arab Emirates35.7K0.4%
Croatia17K0.4%
Estonia5.3K0.4%
Tonga4240.4%
North Korea75.8K0.3%
Belarus29.1K0.3%
Uruguay10.2K0.3%
Montenegro1.9K0.3%
Barbados8340.3%
Canada71.5K0.2%
Bosnia and Herzegovina3.5K0.1%
Mauritius1.3K0.1%
Cook Islands180.1%
showing: 142 rows

Which country has the safest drinking water?

Switzerland has freshly melted snowpack and strict regulations to treat water, making it the nation with the world's safest drinking water.

Frequently Asked Questions