Serbia's level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of available freshwater resources was 5.74 in 2022, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is up 15.63% from 4.96 in 2012 (1.46% a year on average, compounded).
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 5.74 | 2022 |
| Five years earlier | 6.06 | 2017 |
| Ten years earlier | 4.96 | 2012 |
| Highest | 6.33 | 2019 |
| Lowest | 2.39 | 2006 |
| Average since 2013 | 5.59 | 2013–2022 |
| First recorded | 2.39 | 2006 |
What the numbers say
In 2022, Serbia's level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of available freshwater resources rose 5.4% on 2021 (from 5.44 to 5.74).
Across the 15 yearly changes before that (2007 to 2021), the average change was +7.6% and a typical year strayed about 24.1% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 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 86.8% in 2007 and the biggest yearly fall was 16.4% in 2014. 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, Serbia had the 116th highest value of the 176 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 Serbia in the 2022 ranking
- Uganda — 113th of 176: 5.83
- Myanmar — 114th of 176: 5.8
- Guatemala — 115th of 176: 5.74
- Bangladesh — 117th of 176: 5.72
- Slovenia — 118th of 176: 5.59
- Côte d'Ivoire — 119th of 176: 5.09
What this measures
The level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of available freshwater resources is the ratio between total freshwater withdrawn by all major sectors and total renewable freshwater resources, after taking into account environmental water requirements. Main sectors, as defined by ISIC standards, include agriculture; forestry and fishing; manufacturing; electricity industry; and services. This indicator is also known as water withdrawal intensity.
Limitations: Water withdrawal as a percentage of water resources is a good indicator of pressure on limited water resources, one of the most important natural resources. However, it only partially addresses the issues related to sustainable water management. Supplementary indicators that capture the multiple dimensions of water management would combine data on water demand management, behavioural changes with regard to water use and the availability of appropriate infrastructure, and measure progress in increasing the efficiency and sustainability of water use, in particular in relation to population and economic growth.
All 17 values
| Year | Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of available freshwater resources |
|---|---|
| 2022 | 5.74 |
| 2021 | 5.44 |
| 2020 | 5.75 |
| 2019 | 6.33 |
| 2018 | 6.26 |
| 2017 | 6.06 |
| 2016 | 5.3 |
| 2015 | 5.28 |
| 2014 | 4.43 |
| 2013 | 5.31 |
Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of available freshwater resources in nearby economies
- Albania — 4.79 (2022)
- Armenia — 61.97 (2022)
- Austria — 8.68 (2022)
- Azerbaijan — 57.53 (2022)
- Belarus — 4.66 (2022)
- Belgium — 52.83 (2022)
- Bosnia and Herzegovina — 2.07 (2022)
- Bulgaria
More environment data for Serbia
- Population in largest city — 1.41 million (2025)
- Population in the largest city (% of urban population) — 34.44% (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million — 1.41 million (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million (% of total population) — 21.57% (2025)
- Rural population — 2.45 million (2025)
- Rural population (% of total population) — 37.36% (2025)
- Urban population — 4.1 million (2025)
- Urban population (% of total population) — 62.64% (2025)
- Rural population growth (annual %) — -1.25% (2025)
- Urban population growth (annual %)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Serbia's level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of available freshwater resources?
- 5.74 in 2022, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 2006?
- It is up 140.31% from 2.39 in 2006 (5.63% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 6.33 in 2019 and the lowest 2.39 in 2006.
- How does Serbia rank?
- 116th highest of 176 economies with data for 2022.
- Is the latest change in level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of available freshwater resources unusual for Serbia?
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator ER.H2O.FWST.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.
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.
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