China vs India: Industrial water withdrawal
China
103.04 billion cubic meters
in 2023
India
17.00 billion cubic meters
in 2023
China rank
2nd
India rank
5th
Industrial water withdrawal over time
- China
- India
How they compare
China currently reports 103.04 billion cubic meters against 17.00 billion cubic meters in India, a difference of 86.04 billion cubic meters.
That makes China's figure about 6.1 times India's.
Across all 44 years both countries report, China has been ahead every year.
China ranks 2nd and India ranks 5th of 180 countries.
China has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | India | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 40.63 billion cubic meters | 11.78 billion cubic meters | 28.85 billion cubic meters | China |
| 1990s | 90.44 billion cubic meters | 12.75 billion cubic meters | 77.69 billion cubic meters | China |
| 2000s | 128.10 billion cubic meters | 13.15 billion cubic meters | 114.95 billion cubic meters | China |
| 2010s | 134.94 billion cubic meters | 17.00 billion cubic meters | 117.94 billion cubic meters | China |
| 2020s | 103.04 billion cubic meters | 17.00 billion cubic meters | 86.04 billion cubic meters | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher industrial water withdrawal, China or India?
- China, at 103.04 billion cubic meters against 17.00 billion cubic meters in India as of 2023.
- What is the difference in industrial water withdrawal between China and India?
- 86.04 billion cubic meters, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and India?
- 44 years are reported by both, from 1980 to 2023.
- How do China and India rank globally for industrial water withdrawal?
- China ranks 2nd and India ranks 5th of 180 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – AQUASTAT (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Industrial water withdrawal. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Water withdrawn each year by self-supplied industries.