South Africa vs Syria: Annual freshwater withdrawals
Annual freshwater withdrawals over time
- South Africa
- Syria
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 21.11 billion billion cubic meters against 13.96 billion billion cubic meters in Syria, a difference of 7.15 billion billion cubic meters.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.5 times Syria's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 33 shared years of data; in 1990 it was South Africa ahead.
South Africa ranks 35th and Syria ranks 37th of 181 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, South Africa averaged higher in 2 and Syria in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | Syria | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 12.98 billion billion cubic meters | 13.29 billion billion cubic meters | 303.53 million billion cubic meters | Syria |
| 2000s | 13.69 billion billion cubic meters | 14.62 billion billion cubic meters | 930.87 million billion cubic meters | Syria |
| 2010s | 17.27 billion billion cubic meters | 13.98 billion billion cubic meters | 3.29 billion billion cubic meters | South Africa |
| 2020s | 20.77 billion billion cubic meters | 13.96 billion billion cubic meters | 6.81 billion billion cubic meters | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher annual freshwater withdrawals, South Africa or Syria?
- South Africa, at 21.11 billion billion cubic meters against 13.96 billion billion cubic meters in Syria as of 2022.
- What is the difference in annual freshwater withdrawals between South Africa and Syria?
- 7.15 billion billion cubic meters, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Syria?
- 33 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2022.
- How do South Africa and Syria rank globally for annual freshwater withdrawals?
- South Africa ranks 35th and Syria ranks 37th 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 meters (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.