France vs Germany: Annual freshwater withdrawals
Annual freshwater withdrawals over time
- France
- Germany
How they compare
Germany currently reports 25.79 billion billion cubic meters against 24.43 billion billion cubic meters in France, a difference of 1.36 billion billion cubic meters.
That makes Germany's figure about 1.1 times France's.
The two have swapped places 6 times across 32 shared years of data; in 1991 it was Germany ahead.
France ranks 31st and Germany ranks 29th of 181 countries.
Germany has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | France | Germany | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 34.46 billion billion cubic meters | 47.79 billion billion cubic meters | 13.33 billion billion cubic meters | Germany |
| 2000s | 31.72 billion billion cubic meters | 40.94 billion billion cubic meters | 9.23 billion billion cubic meters | Germany |
| 2010s | 27.59 billion billion cubic meters | 29.44 billion billion cubic meters | 1.86 billion billion cubic meters | Germany |
| 2020s | 24.51 billion billion cubic meters | 25.79 billion billion cubic meters | 1.28 billion billion cubic meters | Germany |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher annual freshwater withdrawals, France or Germany?
- Germany, at 25.79 billion billion cubic meters against 24.43 billion billion cubic meters in France as of 2022.
- What is the difference in annual freshwater withdrawals between France and Germany?
- 1.36 billion billion cubic meters, with Germany ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for France and Germany?
- 32 years are reported by both, from 1991 to 2022.
- How do France and Germany rank globally for annual freshwater withdrawals?
- France ranks 31st and Germany ranks 29th 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
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.