Ghana's annual freshwater withdrawals, agriculture (% of total freshwater withdrawal) was 73.06% in 2022, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is down 0.34 percentage points from 73.39% in 2012.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 73.06% | 2022 |
| Five years earlier | 73.06% | 2017 |
| Ten years earlier | 73.39% | 2012 |
| Highest | 74.78% | 2014 |
| Lowest | 52% | 1970 |
| Average since 2013 | 73.29% | 2013–2022 |
| First recorded | 52% | 1970 |
What the numbers say
In 2022, Ghana's annual freshwater withdrawals, agriculture (% of total freshwater withdrawal) did not change 0 percentage points on 2021 (from 73.06% to 73.06%).
Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1992 to 2021), the average change was +0.28 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.54 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.5 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 1.46 percentage points in 1971 and the biggest yearly fall was 2.21 percentage points in 2015. 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 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 29% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.
Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.
How it compares
In 2022, Ghana had the 69th highest value of the 177 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.
Closest to Ghana in the 2022 ranking
- Iraq — 65th of 177: 73.47%
- Honduras — 66th of 177: 73.3%
- Zambia — 67th of 177: 73.28%
- Mozambique — 69th of 177: 73.05%
- El Salvador — 70th of 177: 72.79%
- Namibia — 71st of 177: 71.48%
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 are total withdrawals for irrigation and livestock production. Data are for the most recent year available for 1987-2002.
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 weighted average.
All 53 values
| Year | Annual freshwater withdrawals, agriculture (% of total freshwater withdrawal) |
|---|---|
| 2022 | 73.06 |
| 2021 | 73.06 |
| 2020 | 73.06 |
| 2019 | 73.06 |
| 2018 | 73.06 |
| 2017 | 73.06 |
| 2016 | 73.06 |
| 2015 | 72.57 |
| 2014 | 74.78 |
| 2013 | 74.13 |
Annual freshwater withdrawals, agriculture (% of total freshwater withdrawal) in nearby economies
- Angola — 20.78% (2022)
- Benin — 25.21% (2022)
- Botswana — 27.97% (2022)
- Burkina Faso — 51.43% (2022)
- Burundi — 79.26% (2022)
- Cabo Verde — 38.99% (2022)
- Cameroon — 67.71% (2022)
- Central African Republic — 0.55% (2022)
More environment data for Ghana
- Population in largest city — 4.04 million (2025)
- Population in the largest city (% of urban population) — 19.54% (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million — 6.82 million (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million (% of total population) — 19.46% (2025)
- Rural population — 14.4 million (2025)
- Rural population (% of total population) — 41.08% (2025)
- Urban population — 20.66 million (2025)
- Urban population (% of total population) — 58.92% (2025)
- Aquaculture production (metric tons) — 121,810 (2024)
- Capture fisheries production (metric tons)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Ghana's annual freshwater withdrawals, agriculture (% of total freshwater withdrawal)?
- 73.06% in 2022, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1970?
- It is up 21.06 percentage points from 52% in 1970. The highest value was 74.78% in 2014 and the lowest 52% in 1970.
- How does Ghana rank?
- 69th highest of 177 economies with data for 2022.
- Is the latest change in annual freshwater withdrawals, agriculture (% of total freshwater withdrawal) unusual for Ghana?
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator ER.H2O.FWAG.ZS, 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.
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