India vs United States: Municipal water withdrawal
India
56.00 billion cubic meters
in 2023
United States
58.39 billion cubic meters
in 2023
India rank
3rd
United States rank
2nd
Municipal water withdrawal over time
- India
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 58.39 billion cubic meters against 56.00 billion cubic meters in India, a difference of 2.39 billion cubic meters.
Across all 39 years both countries report, United States has been ahead every year.
India ranks 3rd and United States ranks 2nd of 183 countries.
United States has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | India | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 20.02 billion cubic meters | 55.63 billion cubic meters | 35.61 billion cubic meters | United States |
| 1990s | 32.65 billion cubic meters | 60.77 billion cubic meters | 28.12 billion cubic meters | United States |
| 2000s | 48.30 billion cubic meters | 64.34 billion cubic meters | 16.04 billion cubic meters | United States |
| 2010s | 56.00 billion cubic meters | 59.50 billion cubic meters | 3.50 billion cubic meters | United States |
| 2020s | 56.00 billion cubic meters | 58.39 billion cubic meters | 2.39 billion cubic meters | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher municipal water withdrawal, India or United States?
- United States, at 58.39 billion cubic meters against 56.00 billion cubic meters in India as of 2023.
- What is the difference in municipal water withdrawal between India and United States?
- 2.39 billion cubic meters, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for India and United States?
- 39 years are reported by both, from 1985 to 2023.
- How do India and United States rank globally for municipal water withdrawal?
- India ranks 3rd 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Water withdrawn each year for direct use by the population, usually measured as the total supplied by the public distribution network.