Progress on D inking Water

and 2012
UPDATE





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DFFHVVWRWKHHQWLUHSXEOLFDWLRQW
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Progress on Drinking Water and Sanitation: 2012 Update

1. Water supply – standards. 2. Potable water – supply and distribution. 3. Sanitation 4. Millennium Development Goals. 5. Programme
evaluation

I. WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation.

ISBN: 978-92-806-4632-0 (NLM classification: WA 670)

ISBN: 978-924-1503297

Printed in the United States of America

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2011, Uganda
Progress on D inking Water
and 2012
UPDATE
Progress on Drinking Water and Sanitation > 2012 Update
Foreword

Since the adoption of the Millennium Development Goals, the WHO/UNICEF Joint
Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation has reported on progress
towards achieving Target 7c: reducing by half the proportion of people without sus-
tainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation. This report contains the
welcome announcement that, as of 2010, the target for drinking water has been met.

Since 1990, more than 2 billion people have gained access to improved drinking
water sources. This achievement is a testament to the commitment of Government
leaders, public and private sector entities, communities and individuals who
saw the target not as a dream, but as a vital step towards improving health and
well-being.

Of course, much work remains to be done. There are still 780 million people without
access to an improved drinking water source. And even though 1.8 billion people
have gained access to improved sanitation since 1990, the world remains off track
for the sanitation target. It is essential to accelerate progress in the remaining
time before the MDG deadline, and I commend those who are participating in the
Sustainable Sanitation: Five Year Drive to 2015.

This report outlines the challenges that remain. Some regions, particularly sub-
Saharan Africa, are lagging behind. Many rural dwellers and the poor often miss
out on improvements to drinking water and sanitation. And the burden of poor
water supply falls most heavily on girls and women. Reducing these disparities
must be a priority.

The recognition by the UN General Assembly, in 2010, of water and sanitation as

a human right provides additional political impetus towards the ultimate goal of
providing everyone with access to these vital services. Many countries and agencies
have joined hands in the Sanitation and Water for All partnership. Such collective
efforts offer real promise and I urge all partners to contribute.

I commend this report to all those working towards universal access to safe
water and sanitation. Achieving the MDG drinking water target is a major step, but
ultimately, only one step on a long journey that we have yet to finish. Let us use
this success to invest our mission for sustainable, equitable development with
renewed vigour so we can create the future we want.

Ban Ki-moon
Secretary-General, United Nations
 Contents
3OHDVHFOLFNLQVLGHWKHEOXHER[HVEHORZWRRSHQWKHFKDSWHUVZLWKLQ

02 Looking Forward, Looking Back

03 Global Drinking Water Trends 1990-2010

04 Progress Towards the MDG Target
08 Regional Trends
11 An Alternative Indicator of Progress
12 Urban-Rural Disparities

14 Global Sanitation Trends 1990-2010

15 Progress Towards the MDG Target
18 Regional Trends
22 An Alternative Indicator of Progress
23 Urban-Rural Disparities

26 The Equity Imperative

27 Looking Beyond Averages
28 Water & Sanitation Use in Least Developed Countries
29 Water & Sanitation Use by Wealth Quintiles
31 Gender and the Burden of Collecting Water

32 JMP Methodology and What Lies Ahead

33 JMP Estimates
34 Growth of the JMP Database
34 Data Limitations
35 Data Reconciliation
35 JMP Task Forces
35 Looking Beyond 2015

37 Statistical Tables
38 Country, Regional and Global Estimates on Water & Sanitation
56 Annex: Trends In Urban and Rural Water Supply Coverage
58 Millennium Development Goals: Regional Groupings

01
 Looking Forward, Looking Back

The WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for

Water Supply and Sanitation, known as the JMP, reports every
two years on access to drinking water and sanitation worldwide and on progress
towards related targets under Millennium Development Goal 7. This 2012 report
is based on data gathered from household surveys and censuses, including both
recent and older data sets that have come to the attention of the JMP. The estimates
presented here describe the situation as of end-2010 and supersede those of the
JMP update published in March 2010.

The report brings welcome news: The MDG drinking water target, which calls for
halving the proportion of the population without sustainable access to safe
drinking water between 1990 and 2015, was met in 2010, five years ahead of
schedule. However, the report also shows why the job is far from finished. Many
still lack safe drinking water, and the world is unlikely to meet the MDG sanitation
target. Continued efforts are needed to reduce urban-rural disparities and ineq-
uities associated with poverty; to dramatically increase coverage in countries
in sub-Saharan Africa and Oceania; to promote global monitoring of drinking
water quality; to bring sanitation ‘on track’; and to look beyond the MDG target
towards universal coverage.

Still, much has been achieved. As this progress report shows, over 2 billion people
gained access to improved water sources and 1.8 billion people gained access to
improved sanitation facilities between 1990 and 2010. This is impressive, par-
ticularly when the gains of countries that started at a low baseline and faced high
population growth are considered. Indeed, much of the progress of the last 20
years has been in the context of rapid population growth, and this is why some of
the news in this report is sobering. Over 780 million people are still without access
to improved sources of drinking water and 2.5 billion lack improved sanitation.
Progress on Drinking Water and Sanitation > 2012 Update

If current trends continue, these numbers will remain unacceptably high in 2015:
605 million people will be without an improved drinking water source and
2.4 billion people will lack access to improved sanitation facilities.

As we approach the 2015 target date for the MDGs, WHO and UNICEF are addressing
current monitoring challenges and those that lie ahead. The safety and reliability
of drinking water supplies and the sustainability of both water supply sources and
sanitation facilities are not addressed by the current set of indicators used to track
progress. Accordingly, this report details work under way to refine both indicators
and methods of monitoring, as part of the 2010-2015 JMP strategy. It also discusses
the beginnings of a process to develop new water, sanitation and hygiene goals,
targets and indicators beyond 2015, in alignment with the human right to water and
sanitation and the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Right to
Water and Sanitation.

02
Global D inking Water
Trends 1990-2010

03
 Global Drinking Water Trends 1990-2010

Progress Towards
the MDG Target

The MDG drinking water target has First, huge disparities exist. While quality of water at the national level in
been reached: Over 2 billion people coverage of improved water supply all countries is prohibitively expen-
gained access to improved water sources is 90 per cent or more in Latin sive and logistically complicated;
sources from 1990 to 2010, and the America and the Caribbean, Northern therefore, a proxy indicator for water
proportion of the global population Africa and large parts of Asia, it is quality was agreed upon for MDG
still using unimproved sources is esti- only 61 per cent in sub-Saharan Africa. monitoring. This proxy measures the
mated at only 11 per cent (Figure 1). Coverage in the developing world proportion of the population using
This is less than half of the 24 per cent overall stands at 86 per cent, but it is ‘improved’ drinking water sources,
estimated for 1990. Almost 6.1 billion only 63 per cent in countries desig- defined as those that, by the nature of
people, 89 per cent of the world’s nated as ‘least developed’. Similar their construction, are protected from
population, were using an improved disparities are found within countries outside contamination, particularly
water source in 2010. The drinking – between the rich and poor and faecal matter. However, some of these
water target has thus become one of between those living in rural and urban sources may not be adequately main-
the first MDG targets to be met. areas. These inequities are explored tained and therefore may not actually
later in this report. provide ‘safe’ drinking water. As a
While this tremendous achievement result, it is likely that the number of
should be applauded, a great deal of Second, complete information about people using safe water supplies has
work remains: drinking water safety is not available been over-estimated (see Box 1).
for global monitoring. Systematically
testing the microbial and chemical

The MDG drinking water target has been met

%
100
24 21 17 14 11 8
12 MDG target

80
Progress on Drinking Water and Sanitation > 2012 Update

60

89 92
83 86
40 76 79

20

0
1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015
(projected)

■ improved sources ■ Unimproved sources MDG target

Figure 1 Trends in global drinking water coverage, 1990-2010, projected to 2015

04
Finally, more than 780 million people
remain unserved. Although the MDG
BOX 1
Monitoring the global targets for drinking water
drinking water target has been met, it and sanitation: Challenges and achievements
only calls for halving the proportion
of people without safe drinking water.
More than one tenth of the global In the two decades that WHO and UNICEF have been tracking progress in water
population still relied on unimproved and sanitation, advances have been made in the availability and quality of data and
drinking water sources in 2010. the methods used to measure them:

n A shift from provider- to user-based data: Initially the JMP relied almost
Figure 2 illustrates the global trend
exclusively on government data, which were largely drawn from water-utility
in the use of drinking water sources, companies and line ministries and were based on the number of facilities con-
disaggregated by category. The last structed. The figures did not reflect facilities that had fallen into disrepair or were
two decades have seen impressive constructed by others outside of government-supported programmes. A key
increases in the use of both piped con- improvement in the mid-1990s was a shift to user-based data, collected through
household surveys and population censuses, which more accurately reflect actual
nections to a dwelling, plot or yard and
use of water and sanitation facilities by individual households.
other improved sources, such as pro-
tected dug wells, boreholes, rainwater n More standardized data: Lack of comparability of data on drinking water
sources and sanitation facilities among countries and over time has posed a huge
collection and standpipes.
challenge to global monitoring. In response, WHO and UNICEF assisted the major
household surveys to incorporate harmonized questions into their questionnaires,
and in 2006 they published ‘Core Questions on Drinking Water and Sanitation
Drinking water coverage for Household Surveys’ to encourage their more widespread use. This increased
increased from 76 per cent standardization has greatly enhanced the comparability of data.
in 1990 to 89 per cent
in 2010 n Increased availability of data: The late 1990s saw an unprecedented increase
in the availability of household survey data, largely due to the implementation
6 3
of the UNICEF-supported Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) and the
8
Demographic and Health Survey (DHS), initiated by the United States Agency for
18 International Development (USAID).

n Expanded JMP database: In 2000, some 220 sources of data could be found
in the JMP database; this current update reflects more than 1,400 sources.
35
n Greater disaggregation of data: The introduction of drinking water and
31 sanitation ‘ladders’ has allowed categories such as ‘piped drinking water on
premises’ and ‘open defecation’ to be highlighted.
Coverage (%)

Still, data limitations abound. One major information gap is the safety of drinking
water supplies. Since cost-effective, periodic and standardized water quality
testing was not possible on a global scale when the MDG target was formulated,
and since nationally representative information on water safety was not available
for the period following the baseline year (1990), WHO and UNICEF were obliged
54 to use a proxy for ‘sustainable access to safe drinking water’, as specified in the
45 MDG target. The agreed proxy was ‘use of an improved water source’, where
‘improved’ was determined by the type of technology a household reported as
their primary source. An improved source is one that, through technological
intervention, increases the likelihood that it provides safe water.

To date it has remained impractical to obtain water quality data at the national
Global drinking Water trends 1990-2010

1990 2010 level for all countries. The main international household surveys – MICS and DHS –
■ Surface water are piloting the inclusion of a water-quality module that will include testing for
■ Unimproved the presence of E. coli. This is made feasible in part by the availability of new, rapid,
■ Other improved
low-cost water quality testing kits. If successful, it could lead to further evolution
■ Piped on premises
in monitoring and pave the way for a future drinking water target that includes a
measure of water quality.
Trend in the proportion
Figure 2 of the global population Similarly, a proxy for sustainable access to basic sanitation is the use of improved
using piped drinking
sanitation facilities. Measuring the actual sustainability of both water and sanitation
water on premises, other
improved drinking water facilities remains an area that could benefit from further attention. For a more
sources, unimproved detailed discussion of these issues, see section on ‘Data Limitations’, on page 34.
sources and surface
water, 1990-2010

05
 Sub-Saharan Africa and Oceania are not on track to meet the MDG drinking water target

■ On track: Coverage rate in 2010 was >95% or was within 5%

of the 2010 rate required to meet the target

■ Progress but insufficient: Coverage rate in 2010 was between

5% and 10% of the 2010 rate required to meet the target

■ Not on track: Coverage rate in 2010 was the same or lower than the
rate in 1990 or below 10% of the 2010 rate required to meet the target

Figure 3 Progress towards the MDG drinking water target, 2010 ■ insufficient data or not applicable: Data were unavailable
or insufficient to estimate trends or a progress assessment was
not applicable

For the first time, data on the use of national level. The same methodology surprising, however, since the inhabit-
unimproved sources have been disag- that is used to determine progress ants of these two countries represent
gregated into two categories: surface at the global level can be applied to 46 per cent of the developing world’s
water and other unimproved sources. individual countries, using JMP esti- population.
The latter includes unprotected dug mates to assess whether a country is
wells, unprotected springs and water on- or off-track in meeting its targets. Wide variations are found in the
delivered by cart or tanker. Surface The results are illustrated in Figure 3, rate at which regions have improved
water includes water collected directly which shows that the majority of coun- coverage. In general, regions in which
from rivers, lakes, ponds, irrigation tries lagging behind on the drinking coverage was already high have made
channels and other surface sources. water target are in sub-Saharan Africa. more modest gains, rising by only a
Progress on Drinking Water and Sanitation > 2012 Update

The use of surface water stands at In fact, only 19 out of 50 countries in few percentage points over 20 years.
a surprisingly high 3 per cent of the that region are on track to meet the Of note are the impressive gains in
global population, or 187 million target by 2015. Eastern Asia, which added 23 percent-
people. Most of these people – 94 age points, and the small decline in
per cent – are rural inhabitants, and Figure 4 shows the number of peo- coverage in the Caucasus and Central
they are concentrated in sub-Saharan ple who have gained access to an Asia2 and in Oceania (Figure 5).
Africa. In fact, 19 per cent of rural improved drinking water source since
dwellers in sub-Saharan Africa and 39 1990. The progress of India and China
1 It should be kept in mind throughout this report that

per cent of rural residents in Oceania not only dominates their respective data from Oceania are limited. Each of the small island

rely on surface water for drinking regions, but represents nearly half of states in the region has a very small number of data
points, many of which date back several years, making

and cooking.1 the global progress towards the drink- it difficult to prepare robust estimates for 2010.
2 The Caucasus and Central Asia is a newly formed
ing water target. If only the developing MDG region, replacing the Commonwealth of
The MDGs are global goals with world is considered, China and India Independent States (which included the Russian
Federation, Ukraine and Belarus). The new region
associated global targets. These have represent more than half of the people is composed of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and
been translated into targets at the who have gained access. This is not Uzbekistan.

06
Almost half of the two billion
people who have gained access
to drinking water since 1990 Millions
live in China or India ■ Southern Asia 679
in India 522
■ Eastern Asia 473
India, 522 million
in China 457
■ Sub-Saharan Africa 273
■ South-Eastern Asia 204
■ Latin America & the Caribbean 179
■ Developed regions 108
■ Western Asia 76
■ Northern Africa 49
China, 457 million ■ Caucasus and Central Asia 16
■ Oceania 1

Figure 4 Number of people who gained access to improved drinking water sources from 1990 to 2010 by MDG region (millions)

Since 1990, drinking water coverage in the developing world has increased by 16 percentage points
25
% pt. change 1990-2010

15
23
17 18 16
12 13
5 9
4 5 1

-5 -1 -1

100

80

60
Coverage (%)

99
91 92 94
87 88 89 90 89
86
40

61
54 Global drinking Water trends 1990-2010

20

0
Caucasus and

World
Oceania

Central Asia

South-Eastern Asia

Western Asia

Southern Asia

Eastern Asia

the Caribbean
Sub-Saharan Africa

Northern Africa

Latin America &

Developing regions

Developed regions

Figure 5 Use of improved drinking water sources by MDG region in 2010, and percentage-point change 1990-2010

07
 Global Drinking Water Trends 1990-2010

Regional Trends

Figure 6 shows trends in the use of The second group consists of Eastern in 1990 and moving to 91 per cent
different types of water sources from Asia, Northern Africa, Western Asia coverage in 2010. This represents a 23
1990 to 2010, by MDG regions. Two and Latin America and the Caribbean, percentage-point increase, far higher
clear groupings emerge. The first is where at least 70 per cent of the than any other region.
a set of regions in which the use of population are using piped water on
premises. Eastern Asia (dominated by Significant proportions of the popu-
piped water to a dwelling, plot or
China) has seen a dramatic increase lation in Oceania and sub-Saharan
yard is low (30 per cent or less). It
in piped water supplies since 1990, Africa are still using surface water.
includes sub-Saharan Africa, Oceania,
Southern Asia and South-Eastern Asia. gaining 35 percentage points in cover- Countries that still have less than 50 per
Although gains in the use of piped age in this category in 20 years; 562 cent coverage in water supply are almost
water on premises have been made million new users have been added all in sub-Saharan Africa (Figure 7).
in these regions, progress is mostly in during a period in which the world
the ‘other improved’ category of water as a whole added only 9 percentage Figure 8 shows the number of people
sources. Of note is the fact that 65 per points. Eastern Asia is also the region without improved water sources in the
cent of the population in Southern with the most dramatic increase in 10 countries with the largest unserved
Asia are using other improved sources the use of improved drinking water populations. Though they are on track
rather than piped water on premises. sources overall, starting at 68 per cent to reach the target, China and India

Access to piped water supplies on premises varies widely among regions

1 1 2 2 1 2 1
4 7 3 3 7 7 8 3 6 3
7 6 5
13 9 8 11 14 9 8
9 9 8
6 11
24 8
24 9 5 18
34 31 22 25 22
13 12
21 29
26 32 35
34
27 40
11 15 31
65
Progress on Drinking Water and Sanitation > 2012 Update

Coverage (%)

58 33
38
52 55
83 84 86
29
45 30
72 73
34 70
56 58
53 54
46 45
35 32
26 24 25 30
20
15 16 16

1990 2010 1990 2010 1990 2010 1990 2010 1990 2010 1990 2010 1990 2010 1990 2010 1990 2010 1990 2010 1990 2010
Sub-Saharan Oceania Southern South-Eastern Caucasus and Eastern Northern Western Latin America & Developing World
Africa Asia Asia Central Asia Asia Africa Asia the Caribbean regions

■ Piped on Premises ■ Other Improved ■ Unimproved ■ surface water

Figure 6 Drinking water coverage trends by developing regions, 1990-2010

08
 Sub-Saharan Africa has the lowest drinking water coverage of any region

■ 91-100%
■ 76-90%
■ 50-75%
■ <50%
Figure 7 Proportion of the population using improved drinking water sources in 2010 ■ insufficient data or
not applicable

combined are still home to 216 million

people without access to improved Ten countries are home to two thirds of the global population
water supplies. This represents 28
without an improved drinking water source
per cent of the global population that
remains unserved.

The last two decades have seen

major shifts in the proportion of the
global population using various types
of drinking water sources (Tables
1 and 2).3 The biggest change has
been the increase in piped water sup-
plies on premises, which were used
by 54 per cent of people worldwide in Global drinking Water trends 1990-2010

2010 – up from 45 per cent in 1990.

In rural areas, the use of piped water
on premises grew even faster – from Millions
18 per cent in 1990 to 29 per cent in ■ Rest of world 292 ■ Democratic Republic of the Congo 36
■ China 119 ■ Bangladesh 28
2010. Over the same period, reliance ■ India 97 ■ United Republic of Tanzania 21
on surface water was halved, from 10 ■ Nigeria 66 ■ Sudan 18
■ Ethiopia 46 ■ Kenya 17
per cent to 5 per cent in rural areas
■ Indonesia 43
and from 6 per cent to 3 per cent for
Ten countries with the largest population without access to an improved
Figure 8
3 This is discussed in more detail in the 2011 UNICEF drinking water source in 2010, population without access (millions)
and WHO thematic report entitled Drinking Water:
Equity, Safety and Sustainability.

09
 the total population. In urban areas, 44 million to 85 million (this category from an improved source for cooking
the proportion of people using piped does not count as ‘improved’, due and personal hygiene.
water on premises remained almost to concerns over water quality). The
The number of people using boreholes
the same in percentage terms, but the number of people using bottled water
(which are usually handpump-operated)
massive increases in urban populations to meet their drinking water needs
grew from 1 billion in 1990 to 1.3
during this time meant that the absolute also increased, rising more than
billion in 2010. Eighty per cent of
number of urban dwellers using water sixfold – from 37 million in 1990 to
borehole users, almost a billion people,
piped to their homes grew by a billion, 228 million in 2010. A large majority
are in rural areas. While boreholes offer
from 1.8 billion to 2.8 billion. of bottled-water users live in urban
significant advantages over dug wells in
areas, and most are also users of
The number of people relying on terms of water quality, many boreholes
piped water on premises. Bottled
tanker trucks and small vendors for with handpumps still impose a consider-
water is considered ‘improved’ only
drinking water has almost doubled able burden on users in terms of the time
when the household also uses water
over the same 20-year period, from and effort needed to collect the water.

Global trends in the use of different drinking water sources (percentage)

Urban (%) Rural (%) Total (%)
Facility type
1990 2010 1990 2010 1990 2010

Piped on premises 81 80 18 29 45 54
Public taps 5 6 6 8 5 7
Boreholes 6 8 29 30 19 18
Rainwater 0 0 1 2 1 1
Dug wells 5 4 27 19 18 12
Springs 1 1 8 6 5 4
Tanker trucks and small cart with drum 1 1 1 1 1 1
Surface water 1 0 10 5 6 3
Bottled water* 1 6 0 1 1 3
*Survey data show that most people who use bottled water as their main source of drinking water also have piped water on premises as a secondary source. Bottled-water users
are counted under the category ‘piped on premises’ in the table above.

Table 1 Proportion of the population by types of drinking water sources by urban or rural areas, 1990 and 2010 (per cent)

Global trends in the use of different drinking water sources (population)

Urban (millions) Rural (millions) Total (millions)
Facility type
Progress on Drinking Water and Sanitation > 2012 Update

1990 2010 1990 2010 1990 2010

Piped on premises 1,820 2,763 538 973 2,358 3,737

Public taps 120 205 168 260 288 465
Boreholes 138 255 878 996 1,016 1,251
Rainwater 6 13 41 76 47 89
Dug wells 111 151 843 656 954 807
Springs 15 33 235 221 250 254
Tanker trucks and small cart with drum 24 42 20 43 44 85
Surface water 17 11 313 175 331 187
Bottled water* 26 192 11 36 37 228
*Survey data show that most people who use bottled water as their main source of drinking water also have piped water on premises as a secondary source. Bottled-water users
are counted under the category ‘piped on premises’ in the table above.

Table 2 World population by types of drinking water sources by urban or rural areas, 1990 and 2010 (millions)

10
 Global Drinking Water Trends 1990-2010

An Alternative Indicator
of Progress

Assessing progress towards the MDG

Population Proportion
target alone creates an incomplete that gained of 2010
Water access to population that
Population
picture, since countries that started in 2010
supply improved
MDG progress
gained access
coverage in sources of to improved
(millions)
out with low baseline coverage have 2010 (%) drinking drinking
water since water sources
had to work much harder to halve the 1995 since 1995 (%)

proportion of the population without Malawi 14.9 83 7.2 On track 48.4

water and sanitation. Added to this
Burkina Faso 16.5 79 7.5 On track 45.5
is the challenge of rapid population
Liberia 4.0 73 1.7 On track 42.8
growth, which can easily mean that
Ghana 24.4 86 10.3 On track 42.3
any gains in people served are over-
Namibia 2.3 93 0.9 On track 40.6
taken by population growth. Moreover,
Gambia 1.7 89 0.7 On track 37.7
it is the poorest countries that are
Rwanda 10.6 65 3.3 Not on track 30.7
often characterized by a combination
of low baseline coverage and high Sierra Leone 5.9 55 1.6 Not on track 27.0

population growth. This means that Togo 6.0 61 1.6 Not on track 26.1

countries may be making significant Sub-Saharan Africa 856 61 221 Not on track 25.8
progress in the absolute number of
Selected countries in sub-Saharan Africa that have performed above the
people served, but still be persistently Table 3 regional average in terms of the proportion of their 2010 population that
‘off track’. gained access to improved drinking water sources since 1995

In response, the JMP has developed

an alternative indicator that represents Table 3 shows selected countries in The Democratic Republic of the Congo
the proportion of the current popula- sub-Saharan Africa that have per- has provided improved water sources
tion that has gained access over the formed above the regional average for only about 16 per cent of its popu-
period from 1995 to the most recent of nearly 26 per cent. Some countries lation since 1995; still, this represents
update, in this case 2010. It is thus the have made remarkable progress in more than 10 million people. It is
percentage of people living in a country providing large proportions of their remarkable that sub-Saharan Africa
today who have gained access in the population with access to improved has outstripped Eastern Asia in terms
last 15 years.4 This indicator can be drinking water sources, and this is true of the proportion of the current popu-
used to assess a country’s performance even of countries that are off track in lation that have gained access in the
irrespective of whether it started out terms of MDG progress. Rwanda and last 15 years.
with high or low baseline coverage. Sierra Leone, for instance, both experi-
enced conflict during the period 1995 Afghanistan also shows stunning Global drinking Water trends 1990-2010

The indicator is expressed as: to 2010, but have nevertheless shown progress when viewed in this way.
greater progress than that suggested The country has provided almost half
the increase since 1995 in the number
by the regional average. In Rwanda, its population (more than 15 million
of people with access as a proportion
more than 30 per cent of the popula- people) with access to improved water
of the current ( 2010) population.
tion have gained access to improved sources during a turbulent 15-year
drinking water sources since 1995; period, far surpassing the Southern
this represents over 3 million people. Asian regional average of 30.9 per cent.
Even countries that have not reported
such good progress are noteworthy in 4 Although using population with access figures for 1990
would be ideal, 1995 is used instead since the JMP had
terms of the number of people served. drinking water coverage estimates for 191 countries for
1995, as opposed to only 157 countries for 1990.

11
 Global Drinking Water Trends 1990-2010

Urban-Rural Disparities

In Figure 9, data used to track prog- In urban areas, the rate of increase in unimproved sources decreased from
ress towards the MDG drinking water piped water on premises has stag- 1.1 billion to 653 million, during
target are disaggregated by rural and nated over the last 20 years. The rate a time of more modest population
urban areas. The results show stark of increase has been higher in rural growth. Though the ratio has improved
disparities between urban and rural areas, but coverage remains low. since 1990, the number of people in
coverage, illustrating the challenges in rural areas using an unimproved water
equitable achievement of the MDGs. Figure 10 shows the significant source in 2010 was still five times
increase in the urban population greater than in urban areas.
An estimated 96 per cent of the that gained access to improved
urban population globally used an water sources between 1990 and Figures 11 and 12 show that while
improved water supply source in 2010 – well over a billion people. many countries have less than 50 per
2010, compared to 81 per cent of the However, the number of urban cent coverage of drinking water in rural
rural population. This means that 653 dwellers using unimproved sources areas, no country has less than 50 per
million rural dwellers lacked improved actually increased, from 109 million cent coverage in urban areas.
sources of drinking water. to 130 million. This must be viewed in
relation to the massive growth in the The figures in the Annex on page 56
Similarly, 80 per cent of the world’s urban population over the same time illustrate urban-rural disparities in
urban population had piped water period – rising from 2.3 billion to 3.5 drinking water coverage in develop-
connections, compared to only 29 per billion people. By contrast, in rural ing regions.
cent of people in rural areas. areas, the number of people using

Piped water on premises is a convenience 1.2 billion people in urban areas gained access
enjoyed largely by urban populations to an improved drinking water source between
1
1990 and 2010
4 4 5
10
4,000
14 16 14
130
28
Progress on Drinking Water and Sanitation > 2012 Update

3,000 653
Population (millions)

1,139
Coverage (%)

52 109
2,000
81 80 44
3,343
2,747
1,000 2,142
1,896
29
18

0
1990 2010 1990 2010 1990 2010 1990 2010

Urban Rural Urban Rural

■ Unimproved ■ surface water ■ Unimproved sources
■ Piped on Premises ■ Other Improved ■ Improved sources

Population using improved and unimproved sources

Drinking water coverage trends by urban and rural of drinking water by urban and rural areas, 1990-2010
Figure 9 Figure 10
areas, 1990-2010 (millions)

12
Most people without an improved drinking water source live in rural areas

Rural ■ 91-100%
■ 76-90%
■ 50-75%
■ <50%
Figure 11 Drinking water coverage in rural areas, 2010 ■ insufficient data or
not applicable

Global drinking Water trends 1990-2010

Urban ■ 91-100%
■ 76-90%
■ 50-75%
Figure 12 Drinking water coverage in urban areas, 2010 ■ insufficient data or
not applicable

13