96 percent of the rural population with running water, 850 million people covered by the new network, 72 percent centralized management

This is according to data from China’s Ministry of Water Resources (May 12, 2026).

During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, China made significant progress in improving its rural water supply system. The goals set for this period were achieved two years ahead of schedule.

By the end of 2025, access to running water in China’s rural areas reached 96 percent of the population. The share of the rural population covered by large-scale water supply projects reached 71 percent. And the share of centralized water resource management at the county level reached 72 percent.

By the end of 2025, China had built 3.816 million rural water supply facilities. A network was formed covering 850 million rural residents.

The Ministry of Water Resources also noted that access to running water had improved in remote mountainous areas and water-scarce regions.

850 million people. That is more than the population of Europe. Each of them now carries buckets from the well less often. Gets sick less often. Can wash dishes, water the garden and not worry about where the water will come from tomorrow. China was not building fountains. It was building pipes. Not for beauty. For life. And it finished two years early. Because water does not wait. Neither do people. The question is, where else in the world are there villages where the water has not yet arrived? And when will their turn come.