Spain: Annual freshwater withdrawals, total (billion cubic meters)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2022, Spain's annual freshwater withdrawals, total (billion cubic meters) did not change 0% on 2021 (from 29.02 to 29.02).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1992 to 2021), the average change was −0.7% and a typical year strayed about 2.8% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 standard deviations above 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 3.9% in 2009 and the biggest yearly fall was 11% 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 downward, about 0.46 a year. A straight line explains 88% 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.

How it compares

In 2022, Spain had the 25th highest value of the 179 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 Spain in the 2022 ranking

• Italy — 22nd of 179: 33.78
• Myanmar — 23rd of 179: 33.23
• Korea, Rep. — 24th of 179: 29.2
• Sudan — 26th of 179: 26.94
• Turkmenistan — 27th of 179: 26.25
• Peru — 28th of 179: 25.92

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 48 values

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

• Albania — 0.8 (2022)
• Armenia — 3.07 (2022)
• Austria — 3.14 (2022)
• Azerbaijan — 13.03 (2022)
• Belarus — 1.41 (2022)
• Belgium — 4.3 (2022)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 0.31 (2022)
• Bulgaria — 5.44 (2022)
• Croatia — 0.68 (2022)

More environment data for Spain

• Population in largest city — 6.81 million (2025)
• Population in the largest city (% of urban population) — 17.14% (2025)
• Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million — 12.54 million (2025)
• Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million (% of total population) — 25.42% (2025)
• Rural population — 9.62 million (2025)
• Rural population (% of total population) — 19.49% (2025)
• Urban population — 39.74 million (2025)
• Urban population (% of total population) — 80.51% (2025)
• Aquaculture production (metric tons) — 246,201 (2024)
• Capture fisheries production (metric tons)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Spain's annual freshwater withdrawals, total (billion cubic meters)?

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

How has it changed since 1975?

It is down 19.57% from 36.08 in 1975 (0.46% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 45.85 in 1986 and the lowest 29.02 in 2020.

How does Spain rank?

25th highest of 179 economies with data for 2022.

Is the latest change in annual freshwater withdrawals, total (billion cubic meters) unusual for Spain?

In 2022, Spain's annual freshwater withdrawals, total (billion cubic meters) did not change 0% on 2021 (from 29.02 to 29.02). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1992 to 2021), the average change was −0.7% and a typical year strayed about 2.8% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 standard deviations above 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.

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