Annual freshwater abstraction by source and sector in Spain
Spain: Annual freshwater abstraction by source and sector was 29,446 Million cubic metres in 2020. ▼ Falling
Latest (2020)
29,446 Million cubic metres
Change on year
up 0.4%
World rank
2nd
of 44 countries
All-time high
46,250 Million cubic metres
in 1985
All-time low
24,600 Million cubic metres
in 1970
Years of data
32
1970–2020
Annual freshwater abstraction by source and sector in Spain, 1970–2020
Source: Eurostat. Measured in Million cubic metres.
Analysis
In 2020, annual freshwater abstraction by source and sector in Spain stood at 29,446 Million cubic metres.
That represents a change of up 0.4% on the previous year and down 16.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual freshwater abstraction by source and sector in Spain peaked at 46,250 Million cubic metres in 1985 and was at its lowest, 24,600 Million cubic metres, in 1970.
That places Spain 2nd out of 44 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 32 years of available data.
Annual freshwater abstraction by source and sector in Spain, year by year
| Year | Million cubic metres | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 24,600 Million cubic metres | — |
| 1975 | 36,080 Million cubic metres | +46.7% |
| 1980 | 39,920 Million cubic metres | +10.6% |
| 1985 | 46,250 Million cubic metres | +15.9% |
| 1989 | 45,845 Million cubic metres | -0.9% |
| 1991 | 36,900 Million cubic metres | -19.5% |
| 1993 | 30,750 Million cubic metres | -16.7% |
| 1995 | 33,288 Million cubic metres | +8.3% |
| 1997 | 34,602 Million cubic metres | +3.9% |
| 1998 | 36,839 Million cubic metres | +6.5% |
| 1999 | 38,281 Million cubic metres | +3.9% |
| 2000 | 36,538 Million cubic metres | -4.6% |
| 2001 | 36,120 Million cubic metres | -1.1% |
| 2002 | 35,940 Million cubic metres | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 36,598 Million cubic metres | +1.8% |
| 2004 | 36,080 Million cubic metres | -1.4% |
| 2005 | 38,030 Million cubic metres | +5.4% |
| 2006 | 36,328 Million cubic metres | -4.5% |
| 2007 | 35,573 Million cubic metres | -2.1% |
| 2008 | 35,373 Million cubic metres | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 36,122 Million cubic metres | +2.1% |
| 2010 | 35,310 Million cubic metres | -2.2% |
| 2011 | 35,069 Million cubic metres | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 34,309 Million cubic metres | -2.2% |
| 2013 | 32,346 Million cubic metres | -5.7% |
| 2014 | 32,916 Million cubic metres | +1.8% |
| 2015 | 31,656 Million cubic metres | -3.8% |
| 2016 | 31,300 Million cubic metres | -1.1% |
| 2017 | 30,232 Million cubic metres | -3.4% |
| 2018 | 29,596 Million cubic metres | -2.1% |
| 2019 | 29,340 Million cubic metres | -0.9% |
| 2020 | 29,446 Million cubic metres | +0.4% |
Spain compared with similar countries
- Spain's 29,446 Million cubic metres is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 2,630 Million cubic metres, 11.2× the median. (32 countries reporting)
- Spain's 29,446 Million cubic metres is above the median for high income countries, which is 2,484 Million cubic metres, 11.9× the median. (27 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Annual freshwater abstraction by source and sector in Spain changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | +46.7% | 24,600 Million cubic metres | 36,080 Million cubic metres |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 30,340 Million cubic metres | 24,600 Million cubic metres | 36,080 Million cubic metres | 2 |
| 1980s | 44,005 Million cubic metres | 39,920 Million cubic metres | 46,250 Million cubic metres | 3 |
| 1990s | 35,110 Million cubic metres | 30,750 Million cubic metres | 38,281 Million cubic metres | 6 |
| 2000s | 36,270 Million cubic metres | 35,373 Million cubic metres | 38,030 Million cubic metres | 10 |
| 2010s | 32,208 Million cubic metres | 29,340 Million cubic metres | 35,310 Million cubic metres | 10 |
| 2020s | 29,446 Million cubic metres | 29,446 Million cubic metres | 29,446 Million cubic metres | 1 |
Countries ranked near Spain
More environment data for Spain
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -1.67 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -1.4 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.402 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.3 °C (2025)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate 10.36 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -0.4277 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate -0.5136 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual freshwater abstraction by source and sector in Spain?
- Annual freshwater abstraction by source and sector in Spain was 29,446 Million cubic metres in 2020, according to Eurostat.
- What is the highest annual freshwater abstraction by source and sector recorded in Spain?
- The highest recorded value was 46,250 Million cubic metres in 1985.
- What is the lowest annual freshwater abstraction by source and sector recorded in Spain?
- The lowest recorded value was 24,600 Million cubic metres in 1970.
- How does Spain rank for annual freshwater abstraction by source and sector?
- Spain ranks 2nd out of 44 countries with data for 2020.
- Is annual freshwater abstraction by source and sector rising or falling in Spain?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Spain data come from?
- The figures come from Eurostat, published as part of Annual freshwater abstraction by source and sector. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 32 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat).