UN: Currently, 2.1 Billion People Worldwide Lack Access to Clean Drinking Water

In a joint report by the World Health Organization and UNICEF, it is stated that one in four people globally—equating to 2.1 billion individuals—still do not have access to clean drinking water, despite progress made since 2015, reports TASS.

According to the data, 961 million people gained access to clean water since 2015. The proportion of the population with access to drinking water increased from 68% to 74%.

The report notes that despite improvements in rural areas, the situation with water access remains worse there than in urban centers.

Between 2015 and 2024, the coverage of populations with access to drinking water in rural regions increased from 50% to 60%, whereas in urban areas it remained steady at 83%.

It is also highlighted that residents of the least developed countries are more than twice as likely to face issues related to access to drinking water and sanitation services compared to populations in other nations.