Regions Where Clean Water Remains Elusive

Least developed countries: UN classification (2022), Africa Western and Central (2022), and Afghanistan (2022) remain far below universal coverage, with safely managed water reaching only 28% of residents. That means tens of millions of people still haul water from unprotected sources or buy expensive bottled supplies. It also means medical clinics cannot reliably sterilize equipment, a fact that amplifies the toll of every outbreak. We highlight the numbers so donors and ministries confront the scale of investment still required.

Least developed countries: UN classification Capital (Least developed countries: UN classification), Africa Western and Central Capital (Africa Western and Central), Kabul (Afghanistan), and IDA only Capital (IDA only) serve as proxies for national struggles because even flagship municipalities cannot guarantee potable water around the clock. When the capital’s core neighborhoods lack coverage, rural districts usually face even longer odds. Residents respond by drilling informal wells, which lowers the water table and concentrates contaminants. Those workarounds show why structural investment, not only emergency tankers, is essential.

Climate stress multiplies the challenge. Several of the countries in this category endure alternating floods and droughts, which overwhelm poorly maintained pipes. Intense rain flushes pathogens into rivers, and dry seasons concentrate heavy metals left over from mining. Without continuous monitoring, utilities may not even know when contamination spikes.

Funding shortfalls force utilities to postpone maintenance, which increases non-revenue water losses and leaves pumps in constant disrepair. Citizens who can afford it turn to private vendors, but everyone else waits in line at communal taps. That inequity is visible in the data we publish because the surveys capture whether water is available onsite. When the answer is no, coverage percentages collapse.

Despite the bleak numbers, there are glimmers of hope when civic groups step in. Community laboratories in several highlighted cities now collect weekly water samples and upload them to open portals, shaming corrupt utilities into action. International partnerships also ship low-cost chlorination kits and train local technicians to maintain them. The work is incremental but undeniably effective.

Air quality links back to this story because households without safe water often cook with biomass indoors, adding to indoor PM2.5 concentration. When we show polluted cities that also struggle with water infrastructure, it is a call to design interventions that reduce both exposures simultaneously. Installing efficient electric stoves in peri-urban neighborhoods, for example, eases pressure on deforested watersheds while cleaning the air. Integrated planning matters as much here as it does for the leading cities.

Ultimately, lifting these rankings requires long-term governance reforms. Civil servants need training, utilities need predictable budgets, and residents deserve transparent reporting to hold everyone accountable. Our dashboard will keep publishing the latest survey numbers — updated as soon as governments release them — so advocates can track hard-won progress. Every percentage point gained translates to thousands of people drinking safely each night.

If you work in one of these spotlighted cities, start by logging unserved blocks, mapping health clinic catchments, and publicizing that baseline widely. The accountability alone will attract partners with the funds and technical skills to close the gap. Use our ranking as your progress bar and share each milestone with the community. Momentum builds when residents can see the climb toward universal access.