Japan vs South Korea: Water productivity, GDP per cubic meter of freshwater withdrawal
Water productivity, GDP per cubic meter of freshwater withdrawal over time
- Japan
- South Korea
How they compare
South Korea currently reports 63.37 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal against 58.79 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal in Japan, a difference of 4.58 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal.
That makes South Korea's figure about 1.1 times Japan's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 33 shared years of data; in 1990 it was Japan ahead.
Japan ranks 58th and South Korea ranks 56th of 179 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, Japan averaged higher in 3 and South Korea in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Japan | South Korea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 42.26 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal | 24.8 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal | 17.45 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal | Japan |
| 2000s | 49.76 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal | 36.13 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal | 13.63 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal | Japan |
| 2010s | 56.08 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal | 52.17 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal | 3.91 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal | Japan |
| 2020s | 57.61 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal | 61.35 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal | 3.73 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal | South Korea |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher water productivity, gdp per cubic meter of freshwater withdrawal, Japan or South Korea?
- South Korea, at 63.37 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal against 58.79 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal in Japan as of 2022.
- What is the difference in water productivity, gdp per cubic meter of freshwater withdrawal between Japan and South Korea?
- 4.58 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal, with South Korea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and South Korea?
- 33 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2022.
- How do Japan and South Korea rank globally for water productivity, gdp per cubic meter of freshwater withdrawal?
- Japan ranks 58th and South Korea ranks 56th of 179 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Food and Agriculture Organization (AQUASTAT), World Bank, and OECD (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Water productivity, GDP per cubic meter of freshwater withdrawal. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Water productivity is calculated as total gross domestic product (GDP), measured in constant 2015 US$ divided by annual total water withdrawal.