Annual freshwater withdrawals in Germany
Germany: Annual freshwater withdrawals was 25.79 billion billion cubic meters in 2022. ▼ Falling
Latest (2022)
25.79 billion billion cubic meters
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
29th
of 181 countries
All-time high
49.95 billion billion cubic meters
in 1992
All-time low
24.44 billion billion cubic meters
in 2016
Years of data
32
1991–2022
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.
Annual freshwater withdrawals in Germany, year by year
| Year | billion cubic meters | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 46.27 billion billion cubic meters | — |
| 1992 | 49.95 billion billion cubic meters | +7.9% |
| 1993 | 49.54 billion billion cubic meters | -0.8% |
| 1994 | 49.20 billion billion cubic meters | -0.7% |
| 1995 | 48.83 billion billion cubic meters | -0.8% |
| 1996 | 47.77 billion billion cubic meters | -2.2% |
| 1997 | 47.38 billion billion cubic meters | -0.8% |
| 1998 | 45.81 billion billion cubic meters | -3.3% |
| 1999 | 45.37 billion billion cubic meters | -1.0% |
| 2000 | 44.89 billion billion cubic meters | -1.1% |
| 2001 | 44.73 billion billion cubic meters | -0.4% |
| 2002 | 44.46 billion billion cubic meters | -0.6% |
| 2003 | 42.95 billion billion cubic meters | -3.4% |
| 2004 | 41.55 billion billion cubic meters | -3.3% |
| 2005 | 40.34 billion billion cubic meters | -2.9% |
| 2006 | 39.73 billion billion cubic meters | -1.5% |
| 2007 | 32.26 billion billion cubic meters | -18.8% |
| 2008 | 38.87 billion billion cubic meters | +20.5% |
| 2009 | 39.69 billion billion cubic meters | +2.1% |
| 2010 | 32.99 billion billion cubic meters | -16.9% |
| 2011 | 36.42 billion billion cubic meters | +10.4% |
| 2012 | 33.65 billion billion cubic meters | -7.6% |
| 2013 | 25.33 billion billion cubic meters | -24.7% |
| 2014 | 31.31 billion billion cubic meters | +23.6% |
| 2015 | 29.83 billion billion cubic meters | -4.7% |
| 2016 | 24.44 billion billion cubic meters | -18.1% |
| 2017 | 27.75 billion billion cubic meters | +13.5% |
| 2018 | 26.92 billion billion cubic meters | -3.0% |
| 2019 | 25.79 billion billion cubic meters | -4.2% |
| 2020 | 25.79 billion billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 25.79 billion billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 25.79 billion billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
Germany compared with similar countries
- Germany's 25.79 billion billion cubic meters is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.70 billion billion cubic meters, 15.1× the median. (59 countries reporting)
- Germany's 25.79 billion billion cubic meters is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 3.07 billion billion cubic meters, 8.4× the median. (49 countries reporting)
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
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -4.12 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -4.36 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.613 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.11 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -1.65 % 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 -0.0079 % 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 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 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.