China (People's Republic of) vs United States: Annual freshwater withdrawals

China (People's Republic of)
568.48 billion
in 2022
United States
444.29 billion
in 2022
China (People's Republic of) rank
2nd
United States rank
3rd

Annual freshwater withdrawals over time

  • China (People's Republic of)
  • United States
0200.0B400.0B600.0B198020012022

How they compare

China (People's Republic of) currently reports 568.48 billion against 444.29 billion in United States, a difference of 124.19 billion.

That makes China (People's Republic of)'s figure about 1.3 times United States's.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 43 shared years of data; in 1980 it was United States ahead.

China (People's Republic of) ranks 2nd and United States ranks 3rd of 181 countries.

Across the 5 decades both report, China (People's Republic of) averaged higher in 4 and United States in 1.

Head to head by decade

Decade China (People's Republic of) United States Difference Ahead
1980s 474.55 billion 493.98 billion 19.42 billion United States
1990s 527.97 billion 468.93 billion 59.05 billion China (People's Republic of)
2000s 561.10 billion 465.14 billion 95.96 billion China (People's Republic of)
2010s 595.35 billion 436.64 billion 158.70 billion China (People's Republic of)
2020s 568.48 billion 444.29 billion 124.19 billion China (People's Republic of)

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher annual freshwater withdrawals, China (People's Republic of) or United States?
China (People's Republic of), at 568.48 billion against 444.29 billion in United States as of 2022.
What is the difference in annual freshwater withdrawals between China (People's Republic of) and United States?
124.19 billion, with China (People's Republic of) ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for China (People's Republic of) and United States?
43 years are reported by both, from 1980 to 2022.
How do China (People's Republic of) and United States rank globally for annual freshwater withdrawals?
China (People's Republic of) ranks 2nd and United States ranks 3rd of 181 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Our World in Data, published as Annual freshwater withdrawals. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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China (People's Republic of) vs United States: Annual freshwater withdrawals. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 17 August 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/compare/annual-freshwater-withdrawals/china/united-states/

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About this data

Indicator
Annual freshwater withdrawals
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
181 places, 6,284 data points, 1962–2022
Last refreshed