Most developed nations do not fluoridate their water. In western Europe, for example, only 3% of the population consumes fluoridated water.
While 25 countries have water fluoridation programs, 11 of these countries have less than 20% of their population consuming fluoridated water: Argentina (19%), Guatemala (13%), Panama (15%), Papa New Guinea (6%), Peru (2%), Serbia (3%), Spain (11%), South Korea (6%), the United Kingdom (11%), and Vietnam (4%).
Only 11 countries in the world have more than 50% of their population drinking fluoridated water: Australia (80%), Brunei (95%); Chile (70%), Guyana (62%), Hong Kong (100%), the Irish Republic (73%), Israel (70%), Malaysia (75%), New Zealand (62%), Singapore (100%), and the United States (64%).
In total, 377,655,000 million people worldwide drink artificially fluoridated water. This represents 5% of the world’s population.
There are more people drinking fluoridated water in the United States than the rest of the world combined.
There is no difference in tooth decay between western nations that fluoridate their water and those that do not.
Countries that Fluoridate their Water (SOURCE: British Fluoridation Society; November 2012) | ||
Country | Number of People Drinking Artificially Fluoridated Water | % of Population |
Argentina | 3,100,000 | 19% |
Australia | 17,600,000 | 80% |
Brazil | 73,200,000 | 41% |
Brunei | 375,000 | 95% |
Canada | 14,260,000 | 44% |
Chile | 11,800,000 | 70% |
Fiji | 300,000 | 36% |
Guatemala | 1,800,000 | 13% |
Guyana | 45,000 | 62% |
Hong Kong | 6,968,000 | 100% |
Irish Republic | 3,250,000 | 73% |
Israel | 5,270,000 | 70% |
Libya | 400,000 | 22% |
Malaysia | 20,700,000 | 75.5% |
New Zealand | 2,330,000 | 61% |
Panama | 510,000 | 15% |
Papa New Guinea | 102,000 | 6% |
Peru | 500,000 | 2% |
Serbia | 300,000 | 3% |
Singapore | 5,080,000 | 100% |
South Korea | 2,820,000 | 6% |
Spain | 4,250,000 | 11% |
United Kingdom | 5,797,000 | 11% |
United States | 194,206,000 | 64% |
Vietnam | 3,500,000 | 4% |
Total | 369,656,000 | 5% |
: British Fluoridation Society (2012). One in a Million: The facts about water fluoridation. Available online at: http://www.bfsweb.org/onemillion/onemillion2012.html (updated Nov. 2012) | ||
