Percentage of Population with Limited Access to Clean Water

Global Percentage by Year

2000: 38% (2.3 billion people) lacked safely managed drinking water.
2010: 33% (2.2 billion people).
2015: 31% (2.2 billion people).
2020: 26% (2.0 billion people).
2022: 27% (2.2 billion people).
2023 (Estimate): 26% (~2.1 billion people, based on 8.1 billion global population).

Safely Managed: 73% (5.9 billion people).
Basic (Improved, ≤30 min round-trip): 11% (892 million people).
Limited (Improved, >30 min round-trip): 6% (485 million people).
Unimproved (e.g., unprotected wells): 6% (485 million people).
Surface Water (e.g., rivers, lakes): 4% (324 million people).
Total with Limited Access: 27% (Basic + Limited + Unimproved + Surface = 2.2 billion).

Sub-Saharan Africa: 36% (440 million people) lacked safely managed water.
- Basic: 28%.
- Limited: 8%.
- Unimproved: 15%.
- Surface Water: 8%.
- Total: 64% (~790 million) without safely managed.
Central and Southern Asia: 22% (490 million people).
- Basic: 19%.
- Limited: 3%.
- Unimproved: 4%.
- Surface Water: 1%.
- Total: 27% (~600 million).
Eastern and Southeastern Asia: 14% (330 million people).
- Basic: 10%.
- Limited: 2%.
- Unimproved: 2%.
- Surface Water: 1%.
- Total: 15% (~350 million).
Latin America and Caribbean: 15% (100 million people).
- Basic: 12%.
- Limited: 2%.
- Unimproved: 2%.
- Surface Water: 1%.
- Total: 17% (~110 million).
Northern Africa and Western Asia: 18% (100 million people).
- Basic: 10%.
- Limited: 4%.
- Unimproved: 3%.
- Surface Water: 1%.
- Total: 18% (~100 million).
Oceania: 40% (11 million people).
- Basic: 20%.
- Limited: 10%.
- Unimproved: 8%.
- Surface Water: 2%.
- Total: 40% (~11 million).
Europe and Northern America: 2% (20 million people).
- Basic: 1%.
- Limited: <1%.
- Unimproved: <1%.
- Surface Water: <1%.
- Total: 2% (~20 million).