Annual freshwater withdrawals, total in China, People's Republic of

China, People's Republic of: Annual freshwater withdrawals, total was 568.48 billion cubic meters in 2022. β–² Rising

Latest (2022)
568.48 billion cubic meters
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
2nd
of 181 countries
All-time high
604.02 billion cubic meters
in 2016
All-time low
443.7 billion cubic meters
in 1980
Years of data
43
1980–2022

Annual freshwater withdrawals, total in China, People's Republic of, 1980–2022

02004006001980200120221980: 443.7 billion cubic meters1981: 452.1 billion cubic meters1982: 460.5 billion cubic meters1983: 468.8 billion cubic meters1984: 477.2 billion cubic meters1985: 481.1 billion cubic meters1986: 484.8 billion cubic meters1987: 488.6 billion cubic meters1988: 492.4 billion cubic meters1989: 496.2 billion cubic meters1990: 500 billion cubic meters1991: 508.5 billion cubic meters1992: 516.9 billion cubic meters1993: 525.4 billion cubic meters1994: 529 billion cubic meters1995: 532.7 billion cubic meters1996: 536.3 billion cubic meters1997: 540 billion cubic meters1998: 543.6 billion cubic meters1999: 547.3 billion cubic meters2000: 550.9 billion cubic meters2001: 551.5 billion cubic meters2002: 552.2 billion cubic meters2003: 552.8 billion cubic meters2004: 553.5 billion cubic meters2005: 554.1 billion cubic meters2006: 568 billion cubic meters2007: 568.7 billion cubic meters2008: 576.1 billion cubic meters2009: 583.2 billion cubic meters2010: 586.8 billion cubic meters2011: 595 billion cubic meters2012: 598.8 billion cubic meters2013: 602.8 billion cubic meters2014: 593.4 billion cubic meters2015: 591.8 billion cubic meters2016: 604 billion cubic meters2017: 596.2 billion cubic meters2018: 592.9 billion cubic meters2019: 591.7 billion cubic meters2020: 568.5 billion cubic meters2021: 568.5 billion cubic meters2022: 568.5 billion cubic meters

Source: AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in billion cubic meters.

Analysis

In 2022, annual freshwater withdrawals, total in China, People's Republic of stood at 568.48 billion cubic meters.

The figure is down 5.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, annual freshwater withdrawals, total in China, People's Republic of peaked at 604.02 billion cubic meters in 2016 and was at its lowest, 443.7 billion cubic meters, in 1980.

That places China, People's Republic of 2nd out of 181 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 43 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 474.55 billion cubic meters 443.7 billion cubic meters 496.21 billion cubic meters 10
1990s 527.97 billion cubic meters 500 billion cubic meters 547.26 billion cubic meters 10
2000s 561.1 billion cubic meters 550.9 billion cubic meters 583.2 billion cubic meters 10
2010s 595.35 billion cubic meters 586.83 billion cubic meters 604.02 billion cubic meters 10
2020s 568.48 billion cubic meters 568.48 billion cubic meters 568.48 billion cubic meters 3

Countries ranked near China, People's Republic of

  1. 1 India 647.5 billion cubic meters compare
  2. 3 United States 444.29 billion cubic meters compare
  3. 4 Indonesia 222.63 billion cubic meters compare
  4. 5 Pakistan 179.3 billion cubic meters compare

See the full ranking of 227 places β†’

More climate change data for China, People's Republic of

All data for China, People's Republic of β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is annual freshwater withdrawals, total in China, People's Republic of?
Annual freshwater withdrawals, total in China, People's Republic of was 568.48 billion cubic meters in 2022, according to AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
What is the highest annual freshwater withdrawals, total recorded in China, People's Republic of?
The highest recorded value was 604.02 billion cubic meters in 2016.
What is the lowest annual freshwater withdrawals, total recorded in China, People's Republic of?
The lowest recorded value was 443.7 billion cubic meters in 1980.
How does China, People's Republic of rank for annual freshwater withdrawals, total?
China, People's Republic of ranks 2nd out of 181 countries with data for 2022.
Is annual freshwater withdrawals, total rising or falling in China, People's Republic of?
Over the last ten years it is down 5.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this China, People's Republic of data come from?
The figures come from AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as part of Annual freshwater withdrawals, total (billion cubic meters). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Annual freshwater withdrawals, total in China, People's Republic of. Statizoid, drawing on AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Retrieved 19 August 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/annual-freshwater-withdrawals-total-billion-cubic-meters/china/

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About this data

Indicator
Annual freshwater withdrawals, total (billion cubic meters)
Unit
billion cubic meters
Source
AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
227 places, 6,749 data points, 1962–2022
Last refreshed

Annual freshwater withdrawals refer to total water withdrawals, not counting evaporation losses from storage basins. Withdrawals also include water from desalination plants in countries where they are a significant source. Withdrawals can exceed 100 percent of total renewable resources where extraction from nonrenewable aquifers or desalination plants is considerable or where there is significant water reuse. Withdrawals for agriculture and industry are total withdrawals for irrigation and livestock production and for direct industrial use (including withdrawals for cooling thermoelectric plants). Withdrawals for domestic uses include drinking water, municipal use or supply, and use for public services, commercial establishments, and homes.