Italy vs Spain: Annual freshwater withdrawals
Annual freshwater withdrawals over time
- Italy
- Spain
How they compare
Italy currently reports 33.78 billion billion cubic meters against 29.02 billion billion cubic meters in Spain, a difference of 4.76 billion billion cubic meters.
That makes Italy's figure about 1.2 times Spain's.
The two have swapped places 6 times across 48 shared years of data; in 1975 it was Italy ahead.
Italy ranks 22nd and Spain ranks 25th of 181 countries.
Italy has averaged higher in every one of the 6 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Italy | Spain | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 45.35 billion billion cubic meters | 37.62 billion billion cubic meters | 7.73 billion billion cubic meters | Italy |
| 1980s | 44.35 billion billion cubic meters | 42.81 billion billion cubic meters | 1.55 billion billion cubic meters | Italy |
| 1990s | 43.32 billion billion cubic meters | 35.88 billion billion cubic meters | 7.44 billion billion cubic meters | Italy |
| 2000s | 40.09 billion billion cubic meters | 35.99 billion billion cubic meters | 4.10 billion billion cubic meters | Italy |
| 2010s | 33.85 billion billion cubic meters | 32.31 billion billion cubic meters | 1.54 billion billion cubic meters | Italy |
| 2020s | 33.78 billion billion cubic meters | 29.02 billion billion cubic meters | 4.76 billion billion cubic meters | Italy |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher annual freshwater withdrawals, Italy or Spain?
- Italy, at 33.78 billion billion cubic meters against 29.02 billion billion cubic meters in Spain as of 2022.
- What is the difference in annual freshwater withdrawals between Italy and Spain?
- 4.76 billion billion cubic meters, with Italy ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Italy and Spain?
- 48 years are reported by both, from 1975 to 2022.
- How do Italy and Spain rank globally for annual freshwater withdrawals?
- Italy ranks 22nd and Spain ranks 25th 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.