placestats

Basic water access vs. Food insecurity

Holds up after adjusting for income

Across 155 countries, Basic water access and Food insecurity rise and fall together at r = -0.78 (on a scale from −1 to +1, where 0 means no link). Comparing only countries with similar income (GDP per person) shrinks it to -0.37 (q = 0.046, allowing for the many pairs tested). Much of the first figure is that both measures rise with national income, but a weak negative link remains. Caution: much weaker within income groups than across them (mostly a gap between richer and poorer countries).

Comparing countries across the middle half of basic water access, 86.8% to 99.7% of population, food insecurity is better by 17.2% of population at the top of that range than the bottom. Comparing only countries with similar national income, the gap is 7.29% of population.

Link before adjusting (r)-0.784p = 1.9e-33 · 155 countries
After adjusting for national income-0.367p = 2.9e-6 · likely range [-0.50, -0.22]
p, allowing for regions0.004standard error 0.083 · 7 regions
Check for luck (q)0.046across 12,497 pairs

How to read these.r runs from −1 (one goes up as the other goes down) to +1 (they rise together), and 0 means no link. Adjusting for national income means comparing countries with the same GDP per person, so differences in wealth can’t explain the link. Income is used in percentage terms, since an extra $1,000 means more to a poor country than to a rich one. p is how likely a link this strong would be if there were really none. Below 0.05 means it is unlikely to be chance. Very small values are written in short form: 1.1e-32 means a decimal point followed by 31 zeros and then 11, so very close to zero. The likely range is where the true figure probably lies, and a range that crosses zero means the link could easily be chance. Countries in the same region tend to resemble each other, so the third figure allows for that, which gives a fairer p. The standard error is the typical size of the error in r. Finally, testing this many pairs means some will look strong by luck alone. A q below 0.05 means this link is unlikely to be one of those.

Basic water access · % of populationlink with income +0.85 · proxy
Food insecurity · % of populationlink with income -0.83 · proxy

Both of these rise and fall closely with national income, so a strong link between them before adjusting was close to certain. Read the adjusted figure, not the first one.

“Link with income” is how closely each measure tracks GDP per person across countries, from −1 to +1.

Every country as a dot

Basic water access · % of population →Food insecurity · % of population →35.7%100%1.1%89.8%Afghanistan: 80.8% of population, 80.8% of populationAngola: 68% of population, 78.5% of populationAlbania: 95.1% of population, 33% of populationUnited Arab Emirates: 100% of population, 3.6% of populationArgentina: 99% of population, 33.8% of populationArmenia: 99.9% of population, 7.8% of populationAntigua and Barbuda: 98.9% of population, 13.5% of populationAustralia: 100% of population, 13.8% of populationAustria: 100% of population, 4.7% of populationAzerbaijan: 97.7% of population, 14% of populationBurundi: 65.9% of population, 70.8% of populationBelgium: 100% of population, 8.1% of populationBenin: 69.6% of population, 65.6% of populationBurkina Faso: 50% of population, 41.4% of populationBulgaria: 99.2% of population, 11.6% of populationBahamas, The: 98.9% of population, 17.2% of populationBosnia and Herzegovina: 96.1% of population, 9.9% of populationBelarus: 99.9% of population, 1.1% of populationBelize: 94.8% of population, 45.5% of populationBrazil: 100% of population, 13.5% of populationBarbados: 99.2% of population, 31.1% of populationBotswana: 91.8% of population, 53.9% of populationCentral African Republic: 36.5% of population, 88.1% of populationCanada: 98.3% of population, 10.2% of populationSwitzerland: 100% of population, 2% of populationChile: 99.1% of population, 19.2% of populationCote d'Ivoire: 77.2% of population, 38.4% of populationCameroon: 71.4% of population, 61.2% of populationCongo, Dem. Rep.: 35.7% of population, 81.5% of populationColombia: 97.1% of population, 27.8% of populationComoros: 85.1% of population, 79.7% of populationCabo Verde: 92.3% of population, 32.1% of populationCosta Rica: 99.8% of population, 15.4% of populationCyprus: 99.7% of population, 1.4% of populationCzechia: 98.7% of population, 10% of populationGermany: 100% of population, 4.1% of populationDjibouti: 79.7% of population, 49.2% of populationDominica: 97% of population, 34.4% of populationDenmark: 100% of population, 6.9% of populationDominican Republic: 97.5% of population, 43.8% of populationAlgeria: 92.4% of population, 17.6% of populationEcuador: 92.1% of population, 33.3% of populationEgypt, Arab Rep.: 97.3% of population, 30.8% of populationSpain: 99.9% of population, 6.5% of populationEstonia: 100% of population, 10.8% of populationEthiopia: 55.6% of population, 61.4% of populationFinland: 100% of population, 13.4% of populationFiji: 95.6% of population, 29.2% of populationFrance: 100% of population, 8.4% of populationUnited Kingdom: 100% of population, 6.9% of populationGeorgia: 97.3% of population, 26.6% of populationGhana: 89.9% of population, 44.5% of populationGambia, The: 87.1% of population, 54.8% of populationGuinea-Bissau: 61.8% of population, 62.5% of populationGreece: 100% of population, 6.6% of populationGrenada: 95.6% of population, 17.3% of populationGuatemala: 93.2% of population, 48.8% of populationGuyana: 95.6% of population, 25.5% of populationHonduras: 95.7% of population, 41.3% of populationCroatia: 99.9% of population, 6% of populationHaiti: 73.3% of population, 83.2% of populationHungary: 100% of population, 15.6% of populationIndonesia: 89% of population, 4.5% of populationIreland: 97.1% of population, 4.8% of populationIran, Islamic Rep.: 97.9% of population, 38.8% of populationIceland: 100% of population, 7.8% of populationIsrael: 100% of population, 9.2% of populationItaly: 99.9% of population, 1.7% of populationJamaica: 87.6% of population, 56.4% of populationJapan: 99.2% of population, 5.8% of populationKazakhstan: 97.8% of population, 2% of populationKenya: 65.6% of population, 73.9% of populationKyrgyz Republic: 94.9% of population, 7% of populationCambodia: 82.8% of population, 40% of populationKiribati: 79.1% of population, 42.9% of populationSt. Kitts and Nevis: 98.6% of population, 21.1% of populationKorea, Rep.: 100% of population, 5.4% of populationKuwait: 100% of population, 8.4% of populationLao PDR: 95.9% of population, 35.6% of populationLebanon: 92.6% of population, 42.4% of populationLiberia: 78.8% of population, 80.8% of populationLibya: 96.4% of population, 35.1% of populationSt. Lucia: 98.1% of population, 22.2% of populationSri Lanka: 90.2% of population, 11.2% of populationLesotho: 78.1% of population, 59.9% of populationLithuania: 99.9% of population, 6.5% of populationLuxembourg: 100% of population, 2.6% of populationLatvia: 98.8% of population, 11.2% of populationMoldova: 92.7% of population, 25.1% of populationMadagascar: 55.3% of population, 72.6% of populationMaldives: 99.8% of population, 13.4% of populationMexico: 99.5% of population, 19.3% of populationNorth Macedonia: 98.2% of population, 15.2% of populationMali: 86.4% of population, 20.6% of populationMalta: 100% of population, 9.2% of populationMyanmar: 85.7% of population, 32.7% of populationMontenegro: 99.3% of population, 10.4% of populationMongolia: 86.1% of population, 4.8% of populationMauritania: 77.3% of population, 66.3% of populationMauritius: 99.9% of population, 31.1% of populationMalawi: 73.1% of population, 81.7% of populationMalaysia: 97.9% of population, 16.7% of populationNamibia: 86.5% of population, 55.9% of populationNiger: 53.4% of population, 50.9% of populationNigeria: 82.2% of population, 74.8% of populationNetherlands: 100% of population, 7.5% of populationNorway: 100% of population, 7.8% of populationNepal: 93.6% of population, 36.6% of populationNaoero: 97.8% of population, 29.9% of populationNew Zealand: 100% of population, 17.3% of populationPakistan: 90.7% of population, 42.1% of populationPeru: 95.6% of population, 41% of populationPhilippines: 95.9% of population, 32.9% of populationPalau: 99.5% of population, 28.1% of populationPapua New Guinea: 53.3% of population, 57.3% of populationPoland: 90.1% of population, 3.4% of populationPortugal: 99.3% of population, 11.9% of populationParaguay: 99.6% of population, 26.2% of populationWest Bank and Gaza: 98.8% of population, 27% of populationRomania: 100% of population, 18.6% of populationRussian Federation: 96.9% of population, 2.8% of populationSenegal: 88% of population, 29.1% of populationSingapore: 100% of population, 9.5% of populationSierra Leone: 68.1% of population, 89.8% of populationEl Salvador: 91.6% of population, 45.5% of populationSomalia, Fed. Rep.: 75.3% of population, 79.5% of populationSerbia: 95.4% of population, 9.5% of populationSao Tome and Principe: 78% of population, 54.6% of populationSuriname: 98% of population, 35.8% of populationSlovak Republic: 99.8% of population, 7.5% of populationSlovenia: 99.6% of population, 8.2% of populationSweden: 99.8% of population, 6.9% of populationEswatini: 80.4% of population, 59% of populationSeychelles: 97.7% of population, 14.3% of populationChad: 52.2% of population, 66.3% of populationTogo: 64.8% of population, 58.5% of populationThailand: 100% of population, 5.4% of populationTajikistan: 89.2% of population, 25.1% of populationTimor-Leste: 87.3% of population, 53.7% of populationTonga: 98.9% of population, 14.8% of populationTrinidad and Tobago: 99.3% of population, 27.6% of populationTunisia: 96.7% of population, 25.4% of populationTanzania: 64.6% of population, 58% of populationUganda: 63% of population, 54.6% of populationUkraine: 93.5% of population, 32.5% of populationUruguay: 99.6% of population, 16.2% of populationUnited States: 100% of population, 10.3% of populationUzbekistan: 97.3% of population, 24.4% of populationSt. Vincent and the Grenadines: 97.7% of population, 33.3% of populationViet Nam: 98.8% of population, 10.7% of populationVanuatu: 87.1% of population, 23.3% of populationSamoa: 99.4% of population, 18.6% of populationSouth Africa: 90.2% of population, 20.7% of populationZambia: 73.4% of population, 45.3% of populationZimbabwe: 67.2% of population, 68.8% of populationAFGBFABLRCAFCODCOMCYPITALBRMDGNER

best-fit line line after adjusting

Four ways to measure the link

MethodrpCountries
Standard (Pearson), not adjusted-0.7841.9e-33155
By rank (Spearman), not adjusted-0.7947.9e-35155
Standard (Pearson), adjusted for national income-0.3672.9e-6155
By rank (Spearman), adjusted for national income-0.2450.002155

The rank version uses only each country’s place in line, from lowest to highest, so a few extreme countries count for less. The adjusted and unadjusted versions use the same 155 countries: those that report both measures and GDP per person. So the gap between them comes from the adjustment, not from a change in which countries are counted. Drop in the size of r after adjusting: +0.417 (a minus sign means it grew).

How solid is it?

Leaving out one country at a time, r ranges from -0.407 (without BFA) to -0.343 (without AGO). The bar above shows that range on a scale from −1 to +1, with the solid line at the full result. The single country that moves r most: BFA (-0.040).

Fragile: this link may not hold up.
  • much weaker within income groups than across them (mostly a gap between richer and poorer countries)

Within each region

Countries are not separate, unrelated cases, and neighbors share a lot. A link that holds inside each region is far more believable than one that shows up only when comparing regions.

nr
East Asia & Pacific23-0.41
Europe & Central Asia46-0.17
Latin America & Caribbean28-0.65
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan14-0.57
Sub-Saharan Africa39-0.25

By income third

If the link shows up only in the richest third of countries, it is a feature of rich countries, not a general pattern.

nr
Poorest third52-0.44
Middle third51-0.09
Richest third52-0.01

By largest religious group

Countries grouped by a label they share, such as main religion, rather than by a number. Groups of fewer than twelve countries are not shown. These groups differ in income, region and history all at once. So a gap between them is a place to start asking questions, not an answer.

nr
Christians98-0.42
Muslims35-0.20

By last european coloniser

Countries grouped by a label they share, such as main religion, rather than by a number. Groups of fewer than twelve countries are not shown. These groups differ in income, region and history all at once. So a gap between them is a place to start asking questions, not an answer.

nr
France21-0.16
Never a European colony16-0.22
Spain14-0.56
United Kingdom52-0.48

Without outliers (countries far outside the middle half of countries on either measure, by more than one and a half times the width of that middle half): r = -0.501 after dropping 15 countries.

Two series, one country

Both measures over the years for one country you pick. The two charts are stacked so they share only the years along the bottom.

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Over time, within countries

Everything above compares countries with each other at one moment. This section compares each country only with itself over 9years. So a link here can’t come from anything about a country that stays the same, such as its history, geography, institutions or culture.

Within countries over time, there is no link that is clearly more than chance (r = +0.346, comparing each country only with itself over the years, and each year only with the same year elsewhere). Whatever the cross-country picture shows, countries whose basic water access moved did not tend to see their food insecurity move with it.

Across countries (adjusted)-0.367for comparison
Within countries+0.458each country vs itself
…and vs the same year elsewhere+0.346q = 0.055 · 124 countries
Year-on-year changes+0.244q = 0.037
Read with care.
  • Almost all of this indicator's variation is between countries, not within them, so the within-country estimate rests on a small part of the data.

1,035 country-years (one country in one year), 124 countries, 2015–2023, about 8 years each on average. Share of the variation that happens within countries over time: 1% for Basic water access, 3% for Food insecurity. The margins of error allow for each country appearing many times, and for each year’s value being close to the year before.

Year-to-year changes are a cautious test, not a final answer. Looking only at changes from one year to the next removes each country’s own trends. But it also makes measurement mistakes louder, which pulls the results toward zero. A near-zero result here is weak evidence of no link, not proof.

With one measure years behind the other

0.50−0.5-50+10years Food insecurity trails Basic water access →lag -5: r = 0.401 (n = 475)lag -4: r = 0.392 (n = 580)lag -3: r = 0.375 (n = 737)lag -2: r = 0.362 (n = 886)lag -1: r = 0.345 (n = 1,035)lag +0: r = 0.346 (n = 1,035)lag +1: r = 0.345 (n = 1,035)lag +2: r = 0.344 (n = 1,035)lag +3: r = 0.339 (n = 1,040)lag +4: r = 0.337 (n = 1,046)lag +5: r = 0.336 (n = 1,048)lag +6: r = 0.335 (n = 1,050)lag +7: r = 0.332 (n = 1,050)lag +8: r = 0.330 (n = 1,048)lag +9: r = 0.324 (n = 1,042)lag +10: r = 0.317 (n = 1,040)

Same year (lag 0): +0.346. A peak away from zero does not show which comes first. These series change slowly — this year’s value is close to last year’s. That makes the curve smooth and nearly symmetric, whatever produced the data. Even a sharp peak at one lag (a gap of some years) would not prove that one measure changes the other.

This curve peaks at the edge of the window (lag -5), so it is still drifting where the search stops. That pattern usually reflects a slow trend left over in the data, not a link with real timing. The peak value should not be read as the “true” link at the right lag.

The data


% of population
% of population		Years
Thailand THA100%5.4%2024, 2023
Singapore SGP100%9.5%2024, 2023
New Zealand NZL100%17.3%2024, 2023
Norway NOR100%7.8%2024, 2023
Netherlands NLD100%7.5%2024, 2023
Malta MLT100%9.2%2024, 2023
Luxembourg LUX100%2.6%2024, 2023
Kuwait KWT100%8.4%2024, 2023
Korea, Rep. KOR100%5.4%2024, 2023
Iceland ISL100%7.8%2024, 2023
Hungary HUN100%15.6%2024, 2023
Greece GRC100%6.6%2024, 2023
Germany DEU100%4.1%2024, 2023
Belgium BEL100%8.1%2024, 2023
United Arab Emirates ARE100%3.6%2024, 2023

World Bank, World Development Indicators
World Bank, World Development Indicators

Sources

Basic water access

People using at least basic drinking water services (% of population)

World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · updated quarterly

Food insecurity

Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population (%)

Food and Agriculture Organization, Food Insecurity Experience Scale · CC BY 4.0 · updated quarterly

Asked of people, in a survey about running out of food, and reported as a three-year average from 2015. It is the one measure of hunger here that comes from what people say they went through, rather than from a model.

How this was computed

Data used: most recent value in 2010-2025; values come from 2016–2024. To adjust for income, each measure is first predicted from GDP per person (in percentage terms, on a log scale) with a straight-line fit. Only what is left over is then compared. This is called a partial correlation. The line is drawn the standard way (ordinary least squares), which picks the line that comes closest to all the countries at once. The error margins allow for countries in the same region resembling each other, using 7 World Bank regions. The q-value corrects for testing all 12,497 pairs at once, using the Benjamini–Hochberg method. Underlying data last updated DYB 2024. How the country data works · explore Basic water access and Food insecurity

This page shows that two measures go together. It does not show that Basic water access changes Food insecurity, or the reverse. These figures also describe countries, not individual people. See the ecological fallacy.

More links with Basic water access or Food insecurity