Australia vs Nigeria: Annual freshwater withdrawals

Australia
11.62 billion billion cubic meters
in 2022
Nigeria
12.47 billion billion cubic meters
in 2022
Australia rank
42nd
Nigeria rank
41st

Annual freshwater withdrawals over time

  • Australia
  • Nigeria
5.0B10.0B15.0B20.0B198720042022

How they compare

Nigeria currently reports 12.47 billion billion cubic meters against 11.62 billion billion cubic meters in Australia, a difference of 852.00 million billion cubic meters.

That makes Nigeria's figure about 1.1 times Australia's.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 30 shared years of data; in 1993 it was Australia ahead.

Australia ranks 42nd and Nigeria ranks 41st of 181 countries.

Across the 4 decades both report, Australia averaged higher in 3 and Nigeria in 1.

Head to head by decade

Decade Australia Nigeria Difference Ahead
1990s 21.02 billion billion cubic meters 8.85 billion billion cubic meters 12.17 billion billion cubic meters Australia
2000s 18.55 billion billion cubic meters 11.37 billion billion cubic meters 7.18 billion billion cubic meters Australia
2010s 13.47 billion billion cubic meters 12.47 billion billion cubic meters 994.06 million billion cubic meters Australia
2020s 10.35 billion billion cubic meters 12.47 billion billion cubic meters 2.12 billion billion cubic meters Nigeria

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher annual freshwater withdrawals, Australia or Nigeria?
Nigeria, at 12.47 billion billion cubic meters against 11.62 billion billion cubic meters in Australia as of 2022.
What is the difference in annual freshwater withdrawals between Australia and Nigeria?
852.00 million billion cubic meters, with Nigeria ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and Nigeria?
30 years are reported by both, from 1993 to 2022.
How do Australia and Nigeria rank globally for annual freshwater withdrawals?
Australia ranks 42nd and Nigeria ranks 41st of 181 countries.
Where does this data come from?
AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, FAO, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Annual freshwater withdrawals. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Annual freshwater withdrawals
Unit
billion cubic meters
Source
AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, FAO, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
181 places, 6,284 data points, 1962–2022
Last refreshed

Annual freshwater withdrawals refer to total water withdrawals, not counting evaporation losses from storage basins, measured in cubic metres (m³) per year. Total water withdrawals are the sum of withdrawals for agriculture, industry and municipal (domestic uses). Withdrawals also include water from desalination plants in countries where they are a significant source.