Egypt vs South Africa: Industrial water withdrawal
Egypt
5.40 billion cubic meters
in 2023
South Africa
4.73 billion cubic meters
in 2023
Egypt rank
17th
South Africa rank
19th
Industrial water withdrawal over time
- Egypt
- South Africa
How they compare
Egypt currently reports 5.40 billion cubic meters against 4.73 billion cubic meters in South Africa, a difference of 666.78 million cubic meters.
That makes Egypt's figure about 1.1 times South Africa's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 31 shared years of data; in 1993 it was Egypt ahead.
Egypt ranks 17th and South Africa ranks 19th of 180 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, Egypt averaged higher in 3 and South Africa in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Egypt | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 4.34 billion cubic meters | 1.12 billion cubic meters | 3.23 billion cubic meters | Egypt |
| 2000s | 3.10 billion cubic meters | 1.25 billion cubic meters | 1.85 billion cubic meters | Egypt |
| 2010s | 2.54 billion cubic meters | 2.88 billion cubic meters | 339.30 million cubic meters | South Africa |
| 2020s | 5.40 billion cubic meters | 4.38 billion cubic meters | 1.02 billion cubic meters | Egypt |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher industrial water withdrawal, Egypt or South Africa?
- Egypt, at 5.40 billion cubic meters against 4.73 billion cubic meters in South Africa as of 2023.
- What is the difference in industrial water withdrawal between Egypt and South Africa?
- 666.78 million cubic meters, with Egypt ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Egypt and South Africa?
- 31 years are reported by both, from 1993 to 2023.
- How do Egypt and South Africa rank globally for industrial water withdrawal?
- Egypt ranks 17th and South Africa ranks 19th 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Water withdrawn each year by self-supplied industries.