Proportion of schools with no drinking water service in Sub-Saharan Africa (UNSDG)

Sub-Saharan Africa (UNSDG): Proportion of schools with no drinking water service was 39.04 in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
39.04
Change on year
down 1.8%
Rank
14th
of 61 groups
All-time high
60.84
in 2005
All-time low
39.04
in 2023
Years of data
20
2004–2023

Proportion of schools with no drinking water service in Sub-Saharan Africa (UNSDG), 2004–2023

02040602004201320232004: 58.62005: 60.82006: 59.92007: 56.82008: 57.72009: 57.22010: 54.22011: 52.62012: 51.52013: 49.62014: 48.32015: 46.92016: 45.72017: 44.42018: 43.12019: 42.82020: 41.62021: 40.22022: 39.82023: 39

Source: UNICEF.

Analysis

Sub-Saharan Africa (UNSDG) recorded 39.04 for proportion of schools with no drinking water service in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 20 years on record.

That represents a change of down 1.8% on the previous year and down 21.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, proportion of schools with no drinking water service in Sub-Saharan Africa (UNSDG) peaked at 60.84 in 2005 and was at its lowest, 39.04, in 2023.

That places Sub-Saharan Africa (UNSDG) 14th out of 61 groups with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 20 years of available data.

Proportion of schools with no drinking water service in Sub-Saharan Africa (UNSDG), year by year

Annual values for Proportion of schools with no drinking water service (Drinking Water) in Sub-Saharan Africa (UNSDG), 2004 to 2023.
Year Value Change
2004 58.65
2005 60.84 +3.7%
2006 59.88 -1.6%
2007 56.79 -5.2%
2008 57.66 +1.5%
2009 57.21 -0.8%
2010 54.18 -5.3%
2011 52.62 -2.9%
2012 51.49 -2.1%
2013 49.59 -3.7%
2014 48.25 -2.7%
2015 46.93 -2.7%
2016 45.67 -2.7%
2017 44.35 -2.9%
2018 43.15 -2.7%
2019 42.8 -0.8%
2020 41.58 -2.8%
2021 40.19 -3.4%
2022 39.76 -1.1%
2023 39.04 -1.8%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 58.51 56.79 60.84 6
2010s 47.9 42.8 54.18 10
2020s 40.14 39.04 41.58 4

Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa (UNSDG)

  1. 11 Congo 55.72 compare
  2. 12 Chad 55.06 compare
  3. 13 Sierra Leone 50.17 compare
  4. 14 Liberia 48 compare
  5. 15 Papua New Guinea 46.73 compare
  6. 16 Haiti 45.09 compare
  7. 17 Madagascar 44.22 compare

See the full ranking of 237 places →

More education data for Sub-Saharan Africa (UNSDG)

All data for Sub-Saharan Africa (UNSDG) →

Frequently asked questions

What is proportion of schools with no drinking water service in Sub-Saharan Africa (UNSDG)?
Proportion of schools with no drinking water service in Sub-Saharan Africa (UNSDG) was 39.04 in 2023, according to UNICEF.
What is the highest proportion of schools with no drinking water service recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (UNSDG)?
The highest recorded value was 60.84 in 2005.
What is the lowest proportion of schools with no drinking water service recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (UNSDG)?
The lowest recorded value was 39.04 in 2023.
How does Sub-Saharan Africa (UNSDG) rank for proportion of schools with no drinking water service?
Sub-Saharan Africa (UNSDG) ranks 14th out of 61 groups with data for 2023.
Is proportion of schools with no drinking water service rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (UNSDG)?
Over the last ten years it is down 21.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa (UNSDG) data come from?
The figures come from UNICEF, published as part of Proportion of schools with no drinking water service (Drinking Water). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 20 observations, free to reuse under UNICEF Terms of Use (attribution required).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Proportion of schools with no drinking water service in Sub-Saharan Africa (UNSDG). Statizoid, drawing on UNICEF. Retrieved 05 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/proportion-of-schools-with-no-drinking-water-service-drinking-water/sub-saharan-africa-unsdg/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under UNICEF Terms of Use (attribution required); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://education.statizoid.com/stat/proportion-of-schools-with-no-drinking-water-service-drinking-water/sub-saharan-africa-unsdg/">Proportion of schools with no drinking water service in Sub-Saharan Africa (UNSDG)</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Proportion of schools with no drinking water service (Drinking Water)
Source
UNICEF
Licence
UNICEF Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
237 places, 4,715 data points, 2000–2023
Last refreshed