Annual freshwater withdrawals, total in Australia
Australia: Annual freshwater withdrawals, total was 2.4% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Annual freshwater withdrawals, total in Australia, 1993–2022
Source: AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in % of internal resources.
Analysis
In 2022, annual freshwater withdrawals, total in Australia stood at 2.4%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.1% on the previous year and down 26.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual freshwater withdrawals, total in Australia peaked at 4.5% in 1996 and was at its lowest, 1.7%, in 2020.
Australia ranks 127th of 177 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 30 years of available data.
Annual freshwater withdrawals, total in Australia, year by year
| Year | % of internal resources | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 3.8% | — |
| 1994 | 4.3% | +13.8% |
| 1995 | 4.0% | -6.0% |
| 1996 | 4.5% | +11.6% |
| 1997 | 4.5% | -1.0% |
| 1998 | 4.4% | -0.5% |
| 1999 | 4.4% | -0.5% |
| 2000 | 4.4% | -0.3% |
| 2001 | 4.4% | -0.6% |
| 2002 | 4.2% | -3.3% |
| 2003 | 4.1% | -3.4% |
| 2004 | 3.9% | -3.5% |
| 2005 | 3.8% | -3.6% |
| 2006 | 3.6% | -6.3% |
| 2007 | 3.3% | -6.7% |
| 2008 | 3.1% | -7.2% |
| 2009 | 2.9% | -7.7% |
| 2010 | 2.7% | -6.1% |
| 2011 | 2.7% | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 3.2% | +20.1% |
| 2013 | 3.9% | +20.7% |
| 2014 | 3.8% | -3.6% |
| 2015 | 1.9% | -50.1% |
| 2016 | 2.2% | +15.2% |
| 2017 | 2.5% | +13.5% |
| 2018 | 2.5% | +2.3% |
| 2019 | 2.1% | -14.4% |
| 2020 | 1.7% | -20.6% |
| 2021 | 2.2% | +32.0% |
| 2022 | 2.4% | +5.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 4.3% | 3.8% | 4.5% | 7 |
| 2000s | 3.8% | 2.9% | 4.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.7% | 1.9% | 3.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.1% | 1.7% | 2.4% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More climate change data for Australia
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 118,578 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 34,162 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 84,416 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 128.91 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 3,015 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 12,473 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 10,966 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 1,507 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 41.38 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 53.82 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual freshwater withdrawals, total in Australia?
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total in Australia was 2.4% 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 Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 4.5% in 1996.
- What is the lowest annual freshwater withdrawals, total recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.7% in 2020.
- How does Australia rank for annual freshwater withdrawals, total?
- Australia ranks 127th out of 177 countries with data for 2022.
- Is annual freshwater withdrawals, total rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 26.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Australia 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 (% of internal resources). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 30 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
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. Data are for the most recent year available for 1987-2002.