ENVIRONMENTAL INDICATORS

   
 

Water

last update: August 2009
   

Waste water

   
             
Latest year
available

Population connected
to wastewater
collection system

Population connected
to urban wastewater
treatment
       
%
%
Algeria
2007
87.0
48.0
Andorra
2007
100.0
98.0
Argentina
2001
42.5
42.5
Armenia
2006
83.1
1
34.2
1
Australia
2004
87.0
2
...
Austria
2006
92.0
92.0
Azerbaijan
2007
50.0
3
30.0
4
Bahrain
2007
88.0
88.0
Belarus
2007
94.9
5
94.9
5
Belgium
2007
86.0
60.0
Belize
2000
15.1
15.1
Bermuda
2007
5.0
5.0
Bolivia
2006
31.9
6
...
Bosnia and Herzegovina
1990
38.0
...
Brazil
2006
48.0
26.0
British Virgin Islands
2001
24.5
24.5
Bulgaria
2007
70.0
42.0
Canada
1999
74.3
7
71.7
7
Chile
2007
95.2
82.2
China
2004
45.7
32.5
China, Hong Kong SAR
2007
93.2
93.2
China, Macao SAR
1996
99.9
...
Costa Rica
2000
24.8
2.4
Croatia
2007
43.4
28.5
Cuba
2005
38.8
...
Cyprus
2005
30.0
30.0
Czech Republic
2007
81.0
78.0
Denmark
2002
87.9
87.9
Dominica
2005
23.0
13.0
Dominican Republic
2000
31.4
12.0
4,8
Estonia
2007
74.0
75.0
Finland
2002
81.0
81.0
France
2004
82.0
80.0
French Guiana
2004
46.9
44.0
Germany
2005
97.0
94.0
9
Greece
2007
85.0
85.0
Guadeloupe
2004
39.3
38.9
Guinea
2007
10.0
10
10.0
10
Hungary
2002
62.0
62.0
9
Iceland
2005
90.0
57.0
Indonesia
2005
...
2.8
11
Iraq
2005
25.7
25.7
Ireland
2005
95.0
84.0
Israel
1999
100.0
89.0
Italy
2005
94.0
69.0
12
Japan
2003
67.0
67.0
 
Jordan
2004
97.7
52.0
13
Kenya
2007
4.9
4.9
 
Korea, Republic of
2003
78.8
14
78.8
14
Kyrgyzstan
2004
27.0
 
...
 
Latvia
2007
71.0
 
67.0
 
Lebanon
2004
67.4
 
...
 
Lithuania
2007
62.0
 
70.0
 
Luxembourg
2003
94.8
 
95.0
 
Madagascar
2005
...
 
0.0
15
Maldives
2005
100.0
 
...
 
Malta
2007
100.0
 
13.0
 
Marshall Islands
2007
43.3
0.0
Martinique
2004
48.2
 
48.2
Mauritius
2007
25.0
 
25.0
 
Mexico
2005
67.6
16
35.0
16,17
Monaco
2007
100.0
 
100.0
 
Morocco
2005
87.2
 
80.0
18
Netherlands
2006
99.0
 
99.0
 
New Zealand
1999
80.0
 
80.0
 
Norway
2007
83.0
78.0
Palestine
2006
45.3
 
...
 
Panama
2007
...
 
55.0
 
Paraguay
2007
14.7
 
...
 
Peru
2004
74.0
 
...
 
Poland
2007
60.0
 
62.0
 
Portugal
2005
74.0
68.0
19
Republic of Moldova
2004
60.0
60.0
Réunion
2004
39.4
 
35.9
 
Romania
2007
43.0
 
28.0
 
Senegal
2002
23.0
20
...
 
Singapore
2007
100.0
 
99.9
 
Slovakia
2007
58.0
 
57.0
 
Slovenia
2007
63.0
 
51.0
 
South Africa
2007
60.0
 
57.0
 
Spain
2007
100.0
 
100.0
 
Sweden
2006
86.0
 
86.0
 
Switzerland
2005
97.0
 
97.0
 
Syrian Arab Republic
1994
59.0
 
10.0
 
The Former Yugoslav Rep. of Macedonia
2000
49.0
 
5.0
 
Trinidad and Tobago
2007
25.2
 
25.2
 
Tunisia
2007
55.3
 
51.8
 
Turkey
2006
72.0
 
42.0
 
United Kingdom
2002
97.7
21
97.5
21
United States
1996
71.4
 
...
 
Yemen
2007
31.9
 
3.3
12

 

Sources:

UNSD/UNEP Questionnaires on Environment Statistics, Water section
OECD/Eurostat Questionnaire on the State of the Environment, Water section
OECD Environmental Data Compendium, Inland Waters section

Footnotes:

  1. Data obtained from household surveys (NSS).
  2. Refers to reticulated sewerage.
  3. For Baku, the population connected was 80%, whereas the estimate was 15-20% in other cities.
  4. 2005 data.
  5. Data refer to urban population only.
  6. Data source: household survey; data refer to households provided with drainage system.
  7. OECD secretariat estimates based on MUD Municipal Waste Water Database.
  8. It corresponds to the city of Santo Domingo and represents 350,063 inhabitants.
  9. 2004 data.
  10. The values given in this table relate only to the population of Conakry. There are no statistics for the cities of the interior of the country. However, in all cities almost all of the people are served by either septic tanks or latrines. In rural areas, latrines exist in all large villages (more than 500 inhabitants). In the city of Conakry, despite the weakness of the single system of purification, the entire population is served by septic tanks or by family latrines.
  11. Data for Jakarta City only.
  12. 1999 data.
  13. 1997 data.
  14. Population connected may include population not connected by pipe.
  15. No urban wastewater treatment plant.
  16. Percentages based on population living in individual housing.
  17. Estimates based on treated waste water.
  18. 2000 data.
  19. 2007 data.
  20. Data available for this section relate primarily to the connections, the discharge of wastewater into the ocean, to treatment plants and the length of the sewerage network. Regarding the connections, the vast majority of the population lacks access to the network. Among the population of cities that have a sewerage system, only 23% are connected.
  21. Data refer to England and Wales and to the financial year (April to March).


Definitions & Technical notes:

Wastewater refers to water which is of no further value to the purpose for which it was used because of its quality, quantity or time of occurrence. However, wastewater from one user can be a potential supply to a user elsewhere. Cooling water is included.

Urban wastewater collection system means a system of conduits which collect and conduct urban wastewater. Collecting systems are often operated by public authorities or semi-public associations.

Population connected to urban wastewater collection system is the percentage of the resident population connected to the wastewater collecting systems (sewerage). Wastewater collecting systems may deliver wastewater to treatment plants or may discharge it without treatment to the environment.

Urban wastewater treatment is all treatment of wastewater in urban wastewater treatment plants (UWWTP’s). UWWTP’s are usually operated by public authorities or by private companies working by order of public authorities. Includes wastewater delivered to treatment plants by trucks.

Population connected to urban wastewater treatment is the percentage of the resident population whose wastewater is treated at wastewater treatment plants.


Data Quality:

Data on population connected to wastewater collecting system and wastewater treatment can be obtained from municipalities or through household surveys. Household surveys usually give more accurate results, since they do not rely on sometimes incomplete information about or held by municipalities. In general, data quality can be considered to be fairly good.

<div align="center">United Nations Statistics Division - Environment Statistics</div>