Annual freshwater withdrawals in Congo
Congo: Annual freshwater withdrawals was 46.00 million billion cubic meters in 2022. ▲ Rising
Latest (2022)
46.00 million billion cubic meters
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
166th
of 181 countries
All-time high
46.00 million billion cubic meters
in 2002
All-time low
40.00 million billion cubic meters
in 1987
Years of data
36
1987–2022
Annual freshwater withdrawals in Congo, 1987–2022
Source: AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, FAO, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in billion cubic meters.
Analysis
In 2022, annual freshwater withdrawals in Congo stood at 46.00 million billion cubic meters. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual freshwater withdrawals in Congo peaked at 46.00 million billion cubic meters in 2002 and was at its lowest, 40.00 million billion cubic meters, in 1987.
That places Congo 166th out of 181 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Annual freshwater withdrawals in Congo, year by year
| Year | billion cubic meters | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 40.00 million billion cubic meters | — |
| 1988 | 40.40 million billion cubic meters | +1.0% |
| 1989 | 40.80 million billion cubic meters | +1.0% |
| 1990 | 41.20 million billion cubic meters | +1.0% |
| 1991 | 41.60 million billion cubic meters | +1.0% |
| 1992 | 42.00 million billion cubic meters | +1.0% |
| 1993 | 42.40 million billion cubic meters | +1.0% |
| 1994 | 42.80 million billion cubic meters | +0.9% |
| 1995 | 43.20 million billion cubic meters | +0.9% |
| 1996 | 43.60 million billion cubic meters | +0.9% |
| 1997 | 44.00 million billion cubic meters | +0.9% |
| 1998 | 44.40 million billion cubic meters | +0.9% |
| 1999 | 44.80 million billion cubic meters | +0.9% |
| 2000 | 45.20 million billion cubic meters | +0.9% |
| 2001 | 45.60 million billion cubic meters | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 46.00 million billion cubic meters | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 46.00 million billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 46.00 million billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 46.00 million billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 46.00 million billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 46.00 million billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 46.00 million billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 46.00 million billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 46.00 million billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 46.00 million billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 46.00 million billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 46.00 million billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 46.00 million billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 46.00 million billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 46.00 million billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 46.00 million billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 46.00 million billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 46.00 million billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 46.00 million billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 46.00 million billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 46.00 million billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
Congo compared with similar countries
- Congo's 46.00 million billion cubic meters is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.51 billion billion cubic meters, 3% of the median. (44 countries reporting)
- Congo's 46.00 million billion cubic meters is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 694.65 million billion cubic meters, 7% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 40.40 million billion cubic meters | 40.00 million billion cubic meters | 40.80 million billion cubic meters | 3 |
| 1990s | 43.00 million billion cubic meters | 41.20 million billion cubic meters | 44.80 million billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2000s | 45.88 million billion cubic meters | 45.20 million billion cubic meters | 46.00 million billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2010s | 46.00 million billion cubic meters | 46.00 million billion cubic meters | 46.00 million billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2020s | 46.00 million billion cubic meters | 46.00 million billion cubic meters | 46.00 million billion cubic meters | 3 |
Countries ranked near Congo
- 163 Central African Republic 72.50 million billion cubic meters compare
- 164 Barbados 70.00 million billion cubic meters compare
- 165 Luxembourg 47.74 million billion cubic meters compare
- 167 Lesotho 43.80 million billion cubic meters compare
- 168 Saint Lucia 42.90 million billion cubic meters compare
- 169 Sao Tome and Principe 40.90 million billion cubic meters compare
More environment data for Congo
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -9.96 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -6.68 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.202 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.13 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.8453 % 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 -0.4756 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual freshwater withdrawals in Congo?
- Annual freshwater withdrawals in Congo was 46.00 million billion cubic meters in 2022, according to AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, FAO, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual freshwater withdrawals recorded in Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 46.00 million billion cubic meters in 2002.
- What is the lowest annual freshwater withdrawals recorded in Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 40.00 million billion cubic meters in 1987.
- How does Congo rank for annual freshwater withdrawals?
- Congo ranks 166th out of 181 countries with data for 2022.
- Is annual freshwater withdrawals rising or falling in Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Congo data come from?
- The figures come from AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, FAO, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual freshwater withdrawals. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Annual freshwater withdrawals refer to total water withdrawals, not counting evaporation losses from storage basins, measured in cubic meters (m³) per year. Total water withdrawals are the sum of withdrawals for agriculture, industry and municipal (domestic uses). Withdrawals also include water from desalination plants in countries where they are a significant source.