Annual freshwater withdrawals in Germany
Germany: Annual freshwater withdrawals was 25.79 billion billion cubic meters in 2022. ▼ Falling
Annual freshwater withdrawals in Germany, 1991–2022
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 Germany stood at 25.79 billion billion cubic meters.
That represents a change of down 23.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual freshwater withdrawals in Germany peaked at 49.95 billion billion cubic meters in 1992 and was at its lowest, 24.44 billion billion cubic meters, in 2016.
Germany ranks 29th of 181 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 32 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 47.79 billion billion cubic meters | 45.37 billion billion cubic meters | 49.95 billion billion cubic meters | 9 |
| 2000s | 40.94 billion billion cubic meters | 32.26 billion billion cubic meters | 44.89 billion billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2010s | 29.44 billion billion cubic meters | 24.44 billion billion cubic meters | 36.42 billion billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2020s | 25.79 billion billion cubic meters | 25.79 billion billion cubic meters | 25.79 billion billion cubic meters | 3 |
Countries ranked near Germany
- 26 Sudan 26.93 billion billion cubic meters compare
- 27 Turkmenistan 26.25 billion billion cubic meters compare
- 28 Peru 25.92 billion billion cubic meters compare
- 30 Kazakhstan 24.97 billion billion cubic meters compare
- 31 France 24.43 billion billion cubic meters compare
- 32 Colombia 24.26 billion billion cubic meters compare
More environment data for Germany
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 674.36 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 8.07 t CO2e/capita (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 33.97 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 2.87 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 9.52 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 0.2198 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 55.51 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 0.3905 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 0.1987 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 8.1 Mt CO2e (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual freshwater withdrawals in Germany?
- Annual freshwater withdrawals in Germany was 25.79 billion 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 Germany?
- The highest recorded value was 49.95 billion billion cubic meters in 1992.
- What is the lowest annual freshwater withdrawals recorded in Germany?
- The lowest recorded value was 24.44 billion billion cubic meters in 2016.
- How does Germany rank for annual freshwater withdrawals?
- Germany ranks 29th out of 181 countries with data for 2022.
- Is annual freshwater withdrawals rising or falling in Germany?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Germany 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 — 32 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 metres (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.