Access to water ranks as one of the top policy priorities for African citizens, Afrobarometer surveys (https://apo-opa.co/3NY99er) across 38 African countries reveal.
Challenges in access to water are particularly pronounced among rural populations and economically disadvantaged groups, who face persistent inequalities in the availability of clean water and sanitation services. Rural residents are more likely to experience water shortages and rely on alternative sources such as boreholes and tubewells, while access to piped water remains concentrated in urban areas and among better-off households.
A majority of Africans are dissatisfied with their government’s performance in providing safe drinking water and sanitation. There are more positive assessments among urban and economically secure respondents, highlighting the intersection of geography, poverty, and service-delivery outcomes.
Key findings
Afrobarometer surveys
Afrobarometer is a pan-African, nonpartisan survey research network that provides reliable data on African experiences and evaluations of democracy, governance, and quality of life. Ten survey rounds in up to 45 countries have been completed since 1999. Round 10 surveys (2024/2025) cover 38 countries.
Afrobarometer’s national partners conduct face-to-face interviews with nationally representative samples of adults in the language of the respondent’s choice that yield country-level results with margins of error of +/-2 to +/-3 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Afrobarometer.