Water Access Imperative
Introducing the Water Access Impact Tool
The Water Access Impact Tool measures the social and economic impacts of enabling access to safe drinking water.
It provides robust national data on the potential effects of investing in water access, helping companies, investors and foundations make early scoping and planning decisions.
For details on the data and calculations powering the tool, please refer to the methodology.
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
Total population using safely managed drinking-water services (2024):
12%
Despite abundant water, DRC's poor infrastructure and instability deny safe drinking water and sanitation, causing widespread health issues.
Ethiopia
Total population using safely managed drinking-water services (2024):
14%
Erratic rainfall, droughts and poor infrastructure limit water access in Ethiopia, especially in rural areas, harming health and livelihoods.
Nepal
Total population using safely managed drinking-water services (2024):
16%
Despite abundant water resources, Nepal faces challenges in safe water access because of seasonal variations in supply, inadequate dam storage and groundwater pollution caused by poor sanitation infrastructure.
Uganda
Total population using safely managed drinking-water services (2024):
18%
Despite ample water resources, Uganda struggles with safe water access due to poor infrastructure and population growth, driving health and sanitation challenges.
Senegal
Total population using safely managed drinking-water services (2024):
27%
Senegal has abundant freshwater resources, but seasonal variability, reliance on transboundary water, climate change and overuse in urban areas constrain supply.
Nigeria
Total population using safely managed drinking-water services (2024):
30%
Nigeria struggles with safe water access as rapid urbanisation, inadequate infrastructure and governance challenges undermine progress, especially in informal settlements and rural regions.
Indonesia
Total population using safely managed drinking-water services (2024):
30%
Despite abundant rainfall, Indonesia’s fragmented water systems and poor service delivery leave millions without reliable access to safe water, particularly in remote and peri-urban areas.
Tanzania
Total population using safely managed drinking-water services (2024):
31%
Despite efforts to expand rural supply, Tanzania faces persistent water access gaps due to ageing infrastructure, limited investment and growing demand in both rural and urban areas.
Kenya
Total population using safely managed drinking-water services (2024):
41%
Despite significant water resources, Kenya faces persistent access challenges driven by drought, inadequate infrastructure and rapid population growth, impacting health and livelihoods.
Ghana
Total population using safely managed drinking-water services (2024):
43%
Despite relatively abundant freshwater resources, Ghana faces challenges in safe water access due to seasonal variations in rainfall, rising water demand and the risk of groundwater contamination.
Pakistan
Total population using safely managed drinking-water services (2024):
45%
Pakistan struggles with safe water access due to poor delivery systems, inadequate infrastructure, weak governance systems and high exposure to climate risk.
Philippines
Total population using safely managed drinking-water services (2024):
48%
Despite relatively adequate national water resources overall, the Philippines faces an uneven regional distribution of water and rising demand. Heavy reliance on groundwater in urban areas has depleted aquifers and caused saltwater intrusion in coastal cities.
Bangladesh
Total population using safely managed drinking-water services (2024):
59%
While water is abundant, Bangladesh relies on water resources that mostly originate beyond its borders. Seasonal variations, climate change and overuse of groundwater in urban areas put further pressure on supplies.
Urban
Urban population: 0%
Urban population using safely managed drinking-water services (2024):
0%
Rural
Rural population: 0%
Rural population using safely managed drinking-water services (2024):
0%
Safely managed
A protected water source that provides safe drinking water is available on premises, accessible when needed and free from contamination.
Basic/Limited*
A protected water source that does not meet any one of the criteria of safely managed water.
*Basic – Water is collected from a clean source and the round-trip collection time is 30 minutes or less. Limited – Water is collected from a clean source, but the round-trip collection time exceeds 30 minutes. Our tool does not differentiate between basic and limited services.
Based on your priorities, select one variable below to understand your potential impact. The tool will use your input to calculate the other two variables and then, using the number of people reached, estimate the overall social and economic impacts.
Volume of water
The total volume of water supplied by the intervention
Investment amount
The total investment to build the intervention
People served
The total number of people who benefit from the intervention
