Canada vs South Africa: Municipal water withdrawal
Canada
4.87 billion cubic meters
in 2023
South Africa
4.23 billion cubic meters
in 2023
Canada rank
23rd
South Africa rank
26th
Municipal water withdrawal over time
- Canada
- South Africa
How they compare
Canada currently reports 4.87 billion cubic meters against 4.23 billion cubic meters in South Africa, a difference of 637.26 million cubic meters.
That makes Canada's figure about 1.2 times South Africa's.
Across all 33 years both countries report, Canada has been ahead every year.
Canada ranks 23rd and South Africa ranks 26th of 183 countries.
Canada has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Canada | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5.23 billion cubic meters | 3.09 billion cubic meters | 2.14 billion cubic meters | Canada |
| 2000s | 5.68 billion cubic meters | 4.00 billion cubic meters | 1.68 billion cubic meters | Canada |
| 2010s | 5.02 billion cubic meters | 3.81 billion cubic meters | 1.21 billion cubic meters | Canada |
| 2020s | 4.87 billion cubic meters | 3.57 billion cubic meters | 1.30 billion cubic meters | Canada |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher municipal water withdrawal, Canada or South Africa?
- Canada, at 4.87 billion cubic meters against 4.23 billion cubic meters in South Africa as of 2023.
- What is the difference in municipal water withdrawal between Canada and South Africa?
- 637.26 million cubic meters, with Canada ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Canada and South Africa?
- 33 years are reported by both, from 1991 to 2023.
- How do Canada and South Africa rank globally for municipal water withdrawal?
- Canada ranks 23rd and South Africa ranks 26th of 183 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 Municipal 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Water withdrawn each year for direct use by the population, usually measured as the total supplied by the public distribution network.