Africa Eastern and Southern: Annual freshwater withdrawals, total (billion cubic meters)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2022, Africa Eastern and Southern's annual freshwater withdrawals, total (billion cubic meters) rose 0.2% on 2021 (from 99.93 to 100.15).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1992 to 2021), the average change was +3.6% and a typical year strayed about 8.2% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 44.8% in 2012 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.8% in 2013. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2013 to 2022 the straight-line trend is upward, about 1.03 a year. A straight line explains 91% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

What this measures

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.

Limitations: A common perception is that most of the available freshwater resources are visible (on the surfaces of lakes, reservoirs and rivers). However, this visible water represents only a tiny fraction of global freshwater resources, as most of it is stored in aquifers, with the largest stocks stored in solid form in the Antarctic and in Greenland's ice cap. The data on freshwater resources are based on estimates of runoff into rivers and recharge of groundwater. These estimates are based on different sources and refer to different years, so cross-country comparisons should be made with caution.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a sum.

All 33 values

Annual freshwater withdrawals, total (billion cubic meters) in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — 20.28 (2022)
• Algeria — 10.29 (2022)
• Bahrain — 0.16 (2022)
• Djibouti — 0.02 (2022)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 77.5 (2022)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 92.95 (2022)
• Iraq — 42.42 (2022)
• Israel — 1.53 (2021)
• Jordan — 0.95 (2022)

More environment data for Africa Eastern and Southern

• Population in the largest city (% of urban population) — 28.54% (2025)
• Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million (% of total population) — 15.15% (2025)
• Rural population — 483.55 million (2025)
• Rural population (% of total population) — 61.3% (2025)
• Urban population — 305.3 million (2025)
• Urban population (% of total population) — 38.7% (2025)
• Aquaculture production (metric tons) — 470,246 (2024)
• Capture fisheries production (metric tons) — 4.75 million (2024)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Africa Eastern and Southern's annual freshwater withdrawals, total (billion cubic meters)?

100.15 in 2022, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1990?

It is up 169.91% from 37.11 in 1990 (3.15% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 100.15 in 2022 and the lowest 37.11 in 1990.

Is the latest change in annual freshwater withdrawals, total (billion cubic meters) unusual for Africa Eastern and Southern?

In 2022, Africa Eastern and Southern's annual freshwater withdrawals, total (billion cubic meters) rose 0.2% on 2021 (from 99.93 to 100.15). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1992 to 2021), the average change was +3.6% and a typical year strayed about 8.2% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator ER.H2O.FWTL.K3, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), uri: https://data.apps.fao.org/aquastat/, publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), date accessed: 20240529 Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.