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2022 DALY Score

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Water Quality by Country 2023

Water quality, particularly the quality of drinking water, is arguably the most essential requirement for the survival of not only mankind, but all terrestrial life on Earth. Despite its importance, water quality is not guaranteed, and is quite variable throughout the world's countries, due to both natural and man-made influences. Measuring the safety of the drinking water in each area of a country is of vital importance, as it helps that country determine where to focus its efforts in order to ensure the long-term health of its citizens and the sustainability of its water supply.

How is the safety of drinking water determined?

Localized testing is the most common method of determining whether or not a region's water is safe drinking water. In developed countries, testing may be conducted by the water utilities themselves or by various local, state, or federal agencies. In developing and least-developed countries, testing may be much less consistent and reliable.

Top 10 Countries with the Best Water Quality in the World (2022 DALY score):

RankCountryDALY
1 (tie)Finland100.0
1 (tie)Iceland100.0
1 (tie)Netherlands100.0
1 (tie)Norway100.0
1 (tie)Switzerland100.0
1 (tie)United Kingdom100.0
7Malta99.8
8Germany99.1
9Luxembourg98.7
10Sweden98.6

One of the most widely respected aggregators of water quality data is Yale University's Environmental Performance Index, which tracks more than 30 performance indicators—including "Sanitation & Drinking Water"—in order to pinpoint the most environmentally friendly countries in the world. Additional performance indicators tracked by the EPI include environmental health, climate change mitigation, air quality, waste management, biodiversity, fishery populations, and more.

How is water quality rated?

The EPI measures water quality in terms of "age-standardized disability-adjusted life-years lost per 100,000 persons (DALY rate) due to exposure to unsafe drinking water." According to the DALY scale, a score of 100 indicates countries with the purest and least-contaminated water and a score of 0 indicates the 5% of countries with the most contaminated water on the planet.

10 Countries with the Worst Water Quality in the World (2022 DALY score):

  1. Lesotho — 7.3
  2. Guinea-Bissau — 6.8
  3. Eritrea — 6.4
  4. Madagascar — 6.0
  5. Burundi — 5.4
  6. Togo — 5.2
  7. Nigeria — 5.0
  8. Niger — 1.5
  9. Central African Republic — 0.0
  10. Chad — 0.0

180 Countries Ranked by Water Quality (2022 DALY score):

RankCountryScore
1 (tie)Finland100.0
1 (tie)Iceland100.0
1 (tie)Netherlands100.0
1 (tie)Norway100.0
1 (tie)Switzerland100.0
1 (tie)United Kingdom100.0
7Malta99.8
8Germany99.1
9Luxembourg98.7
10Sweden98.6
11Italy98.3
12Greece98.2
13 (tie)Denmark97.4
14Ireland97.4
15Spain96.9
16France96.3
17Japan95.1
18Austria94.7
19Cyprus94.0
20Belgium93.6
21Singapore93.3
22Israel92.9
23South Korea90.8
24Canada88.1
25Australia87.1
26United States of America86.1
27Brunei85.7
28Portugal83.5
29New Zealand80.4
30Czech Republic76.5
31Slovenia74.7
32Taiwan72.4
33Slovakia71.9
34Poland71.8
35Uruguay70.8
36Croatia70.3
37Bulgaria68.4
38Chile68.1
39Kuwait67.5
40United Arab Emirates67.2
41Qatar66.6
42Costa Rica66.2
43 (tie)Montenegro65.6
43 (tie)Serbia65.6
45Mauritius65.5
46Argentina64.8
47Jordan62.7
48Hungary62.2
49Estonia61.9
50Bosnia and Herzegovina61.5
51North Macedonia61.1
52Belarus60.5
53Lebanon59.8
54China59.5
55Saudi Arabia59.3
56Latvia59.1
57Lithuania58.4
58Oman58.3
59Malaysia57.6
60Armenia57.3
61Bahrain56.6
62Romania56.0
63 (tie)Colombia55.9
63 (tie)Thailand55.9
65Russia55.5
66 (tie)Kazakhstan55.2
66 (tie)Ukraine55.2
68Bahamas55.0
69Albania54.1
70Iran53.7
71Trinidad and Tobago53.4
72Algeria53.3
73Mexico52.9
74Vietnam52.8
75Turkey52.7
76Tunisia52.6
77Uzbekistan52.1
78Barbados52.0
79Georgia51.7
80Seychelles51.5
81Ecuador50.3
82Antigua and Barbuda50.1
83Moldova50.0
84 (tie)Cuba49.7
84 (tie)Iraq49.7
86Jamaica49.4
87Samoa49.3
88Sri Lanka48.5
89Maldives47.8
90 (tie)Dominica47.6
90 (tie)Paraguay47.6
92Turkmenistan47.4
93Grenada47.1
94Venezuela46.8
95Tonga46.5
96Brazil46.2
97 (tie)Azerbaijan45.6
97 (tie)Kyrgyzstan45.6
99Saint Lucia45.4
100 (tie)Panama43.6
100 (tie)Saint Vincent and the Grenadines43.6
102Mongolia43.2
103Peru43.1
104Nicaragua42.9
105Belize42.7
106El Salvador41.7
107Morocco40.9
108Bolivia40.1
109Suriname39.4
110 (tie)Dominican Republic39.0
110 (tie)Philippines39.0
112Egypt36.7
113Cabo Verde35.6
114Micronesia35.5
115 (tie)Guyana35.3
115 (tie)Sao Tome and Principe35.3
117Fiji34.7
118Cambodia34.3
119Equatorial Guinea33.2
120Marshall Islands32.3
121Honduras31.8
122Bhutan31.2
123 (tie)Myanmar30.9
123 (tie)Tajikistan30.9
125Indonesia28.5
126Guatemala28.3
127Afghanistan28.1
128Gabon27.7
129Bangladesh27.4
130Nepal27.1
131Laos26.6
132Timor Leste26.0
133South Africa24.7
134Sudan22.4
135Vanuatu21.5
136 (tie)Botswana20.9
136 (tie)Ghana20.9
138Namibia19.7
139India19.5
140Gambia19.2
141Tanzania18.5
142Djibouti18.3
143Uganda17.6
144Pakistan17.5
145Ivory Coast17.3
146 (tie)Rwanda16.9
146 (tie)Zimbabwe16.9
148Mozambique16.4
149Kiribati16.3
150Papua New Guinea15.6
151Comoros15.2
152Republic of the Congo14.6
153 (tie)Haiti14.1
153 (tie)Solomon Islands14.1
155Kenya13.7
156 (tie)DR Congo13.5
156 (tie)Mauritania13.6
158 (tie)Benin13.5
158 (tie)Zambia13.5
160Senegal13.1
161Angola12.8
162Eswatini12.6
163Malawi12.1
164Sierra Leone11.6
165Guinea11.3
166Ethiopia11.0
167Liberia9.9
168Mali8.3
169 (tie)Burkina Faso7.8
169 (tie)Cameroon7.8
171Lesotho7.3
172Guinea-Bissau6.8
173Eritrea6.4
174Madagascar6.0
175Burundi5.4
176Togo5.2
177Nigeria5.0
178Niger1.5
179 (tie)Central African Republic0.0
179 (tie)Chad0.0

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Water Quality by Country 2023

Which country has best water quality in world?

Finland, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom are tied for the best water quality in the world.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources