China vs United States: Municipal water withdrawal
China
124.85 billion cubic meters
in 2023
United States
58.39 billion cubic meters
in 2023
China rank
1st
United States rank
2nd
Municipal water withdrawal over time
- China
- United States
How they compare
China currently reports 124.85 billion cubic meters against 58.39 billion cubic meters in United States, a difference of 66.46 billion cubic meters.
That makes China's figure about 2.1 times United States's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 39 shared years of data; in 1985 it was United States ahead.
China ranks 1st and United States ranks 2nd of 183 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, China averaged higher in 3 and United States in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 31.81 billion cubic meters | 55.63 billion cubic meters | 23.82 billion cubic meters | United States |
| 1990s | 36.83 billion cubic meters | 60.77 billion cubic meters | 23.94 billion cubic meters | United States |
| 2000s | 66.32 billion cubic meters | 64.34 billion cubic meters | 1.98 billion cubic meters | China |
| 2010s | 87.42 billion cubic meters | 59.50 billion cubic meters | 27.92 billion cubic meters | China |
| 2020s | 122.33 billion cubic meters | 58.39 billion cubic meters | 63.95 billion cubic meters | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher municipal water withdrawal, China or United States?
- China, at 124.85 billion cubic meters against 58.39 billion cubic meters in United States as of 2023.
- What is the difference in municipal water withdrawal between China and United States?
- 66.46 billion cubic meters, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and United States?
- 39 years are reported by both, from 1985 to 2023.
- How do China and United States rank globally for municipal water withdrawal?
- China ranks 1st and United States ranks 2nd 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Water withdrawn each year for direct use by the population, usually measured as the total supplied by the public distribution network.