Tap water in Ethiopia

Not safe to drink

The WHO and UNICEF put safely managed drinking water within reach of 14% of people in Ethiopia. National figures describe a country, not the tap in front of you.

What the sources say

WHO / UNICEF JMP

14% of the population has safely managed drinking water, meaning it is free from contamination at the point of use.

Coverage splits by where you are: 38% in urban areas against 8% in rural ones.

US CDC Travelers' Health

Advises travellers that tap water is generally not safe to drink in Ethiopia.

Numbeo

39.58/100 on the water drinkability and accessibility index, which Numbeo reads as “Low”. This one is crowdsourced from residents rather than measured.

Lonely Planet

Never drink tap water unless it has been boiled, filtered or chemically disinfected (such as with iodine tablets). Never drink from streams, rivers and lakes. It’s also best to avoid drinking from pumps and wells: some do bring pure water to the surface, but the presence of animals can still contaminate supplies.

Bottled water is available everywhere, though it’s better for the environment if you treat/filter local water.

This is a national picture, and it varies. Some cities treat their water to a standard the country as a whole does not reach. Where the water is not safe, boiling, filtering or sealed bottles are the usual options, and ice and raw salad washed in tap water carry the same risk as the water itself.

What bottled water costs you here

Drinking tap water instead of bottled would save one adult about 489$ a year in Ethiopia, and keep several hundred plastic bottles out of circulation.

Work out your own saving

Places in Ethiopia

Water quality is local. These places have their own readings.

Elsewhere in Africa