The Ledger · Entry 13
Nearly three-quarters of the world now has safely managed drinking water
Share of people using safely managed drinking water
Safe water is the quiet foundation of health: clean to drink, on hand when needed, and free of the contamination that spreads disease. A safely managed source has to clear all three of those bars, which is a stricter test than merely having a tap somewhere nearby.
The key rows
From the record
Almost three-quarters of the world's population uses a safely managed water source. One in four people does not use a safe drinking water source.
As pipes, treatment, and testing have reached further into the world, the share of people meeting that bar has climbed year after year. The gap that remains is real, but it keeps narrowing.
Asked often
What counts as safely managed drinking water?
An improved water source on the premises, available when needed, and free from faecal and priority chemical contamination, as defined by the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme.
How many people still lack safe water?
In 2024 about 73.7% of the world used a safely managed source, which means roughly one in four people still did not.
How fast is access improving?
The share rose from 61.3% in 2000 to 73.7% in 2024, a steady climb of a little over half a percentage point a year.
The world also got better today.
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