South Korea vs South Africa: Industrial water withdrawal
South Korea
4.45 billion cubic meters
in 2023
South Africa
4.73 billion cubic meters
in 2023
South Korea rank
20th
South Africa rank
19th
Industrial water withdrawal over time
- South Korea
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 4.73 billion cubic meters against 4.45 billion cubic meters in South Korea, a difference of 283.22 million cubic meters.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.1 times South Korea's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 34 shared years of data; in 1990 it was South Korea ahead.
South Korea ranks 20th and South Africa ranks 19th of 180 countries.
South Korea has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Korea | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.84 billion cubic meters | 1.20 billion cubic meters | 1.64 billion cubic meters | South Korea |
| 2000s | 4.38 billion cubic meters | 1.25 billion cubic meters | 3.13 billion cubic meters | South Korea |
| 2010s | 4.45 billion cubic meters | 2.88 billion cubic meters | 1.57 billion cubic meters | South Korea |
| 2020s | 4.45 billion cubic meters | 4.38 billion cubic meters | 70.00 million cubic meters | South Korea |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher industrial water withdrawal, South Korea or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 4.73 billion cubic meters against 4.45 billion cubic meters in South Korea as of 2023.
- What is the difference in industrial water withdrawal between South Korea and South Africa?
- 283.22 million cubic meters, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Korea and South Africa?
- 34 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2023.
- How do South Korea and South Africa rank globally for industrial water withdrawal?
- South Korea ranks 20th 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Water withdrawn each year by self-supplied industries.