China vs India: Municipal water withdrawal
China
79.40 billion billion m³ per year
in 2015
India
56.00 billion billion m³ per year
in 2010
China rank
1st
India rank
2nd
Municipal water withdrawal over time
- China
- India
How they compare
China currently reports 79.40 billion billion m³ per year against 56.00 billion billion m³ per year in India, a difference of 23.40 billion billion m³ per year.
That makes China's figure about 1.4 times India's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 5 shared years of data; in 1980 it was India ahead.
China ranks 1st and India ranks 2nd of 35 countries.
China has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | India | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 18.23 billion billion m³ per year | 16.20 billion billion m³ per year | 2.02 billion billion m³ per year | China |
| 1990s | 35.00 billion billion m³ per year | 25.00 billion billion m³ per year | 10.00 billion billion m³ per year | China |
| 2000s | 57.50 billion billion m³ per year | 42.00 billion billion m³ per year | 15.50 billion billion m³ per year | China |
| 2010s | 72.90 billion billion m³ per year | 56.00 billion billion m³ per year | 16.90 billion billion m³ per year | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher municipal water withdrawal, China or India?
- China, at 79.40 billion billion m³ per year against 56.00 billion billion m³ per year in India as of 2015.
- What is the difference in municipal water withdrawal between China and India?
- 23.40 billion billion m³ per year, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and India?
- 5 years are reported by both, from 1980 to 2010.
- How do China and India rank globally for municipal water withdrawal?
- China ranks 1st and India ranks 2nd of 35 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- FAO (2017) – processed 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
Total water withdrawal for municipal (domestic) purposes, measured in cubic metres (m³) per year. Municipal water is the annual quantity of water withdrawn primarily for the direct use by the population.