Annual freshwater withdrawals in Japan
Japan: Annual freshwater withdrawals was 79.70 billion billion cubic meters in 2022. ▼ Falling
Latest (2022)
79.70 billion billion cubic meters
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
10th
of 181 countries
All-time high
91.40 billion billion cubic meters
in 1992
All-time low
78.40 billion billion cubic meters
in 2019
Years of data
43
1980–2022
Annual freshwater withdrawals in Japan, 1980–2022
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
The most recent figure for annual freshwater withdrawals in Japan is 79.70 billion billion cubic meters, measured in 2022.
That represents a change of down 1.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual freshwater withdrawals in Japan peaked at 91.40 billion billion cubic meters in 1992 and was at its lowest, 78.40 billion billion cubic meters, in 2019.
That places Japan 10th out of 181 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 43 years of available data.
Annual freshwater withdrawals in Japan, year by year
| Year | billion cubic meters | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 88.20 billion billion cubic meters | — |
| 1981 | 88.48 billion billion cubic meters | +0.3% |
| 1982 | 88.76 billion billion cubic meters | +0.3% |
| 1983 | 89.04 billion billion cubic meters | +0.3% |
| 1984 | 89.32 billion billion cubic meters | +0.3% |
| 1985 | 89.60 billion billion cubic meters | +0.3% |
| 1986 | 89.88 billion billion cubic meters | +0.3% |
| 1987 | 90.16 billion billion cubic meters | +0.3% |
| 1988 | 90.44 billion billion cubic meters | +0.3% |
| 1989 | 90.72 billion billion cubic meters | +0.3% |
| 1990 | 91.00 billion billion cubic meters | +0.3% |
| 1991 | 91.20 billion billion cubic meters | +0.2% |
| 1992 | 91.40 billion billion cubic meters | +0.2% |
| 1993 | 90.56 billion billion cubic meters | -0.9% |
| 1994 | 89.72 billion billion cubic meters | -0.9% |
| 1995 | 88.84 billion billion cubic meters | -1.0% |
| 1996 | 89.02 billion billion cubic meters | +0.2% |
| 1997 | 89.19 billion billion cubic meters | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 89.59 billion billion cubic meters | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 90.00 billion billion cubic meters | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 90.40 billion billion cubic meters | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 87.42 billion billion cubic meters | -3.3% |
| 2002 | 84.45 billion billion cubic meters | -3.4% |
| 2003 | 84.11 billion billion cubic meters | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 83.77 billion billion cubic meters | -0.4% |
| 2005 | 83.43 billion billion cubic meters | -0.4% |
| 2006 | 83.09 billion billion cubic meters | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 82.75 billion billion cubic meters | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 81.99 billion billion cubic meters | -0.9% |
| 2009 | 81.22 billion billion cubic meters | -0.9% |
| 2010 | 81.00 billion billion cubic meters | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 80.79 billion billion cubic meters | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 80.57 billion billion cubic meters | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 80.35 billion billion cubic meters | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 80.13 billion billion cubic meters | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 79.92 billion billion cubic meters | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 79.70 billion billion cubic meters | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 79.30 billion billion cubic meters | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 79.10 billion billion cubic meters | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 78.40 billion billion cubic meters | -0.9% |
| 2020 | 79.70 billion billion cubic meters | +1.7% |
| 2021 | 79.70 billion billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 79.70 billion billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 79.70 billion billion cubic meters is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.70 billion billion cubic meters, 46.8× the median. (59 countries reporting)
- Japan's 79.70 billion billion cubic meters is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 9.27 billion billion cubic meters, 8.6× the median. (20 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 89.46 billion billion cubic meters | 88.20 billion billion cubic meters | 90.72 billion billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 1990s | 90.05 billion billion cubic meters | 88.84 billion billion cubic meters | 91.40 billion billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2000s | 84.26 billion billion cubic meters | 81.22 billion billion cubic meters | 90.40 billion billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2010s | 79.93 billion billion cubic meters | 78.40 billion billion cubic meters | 81.00 billion billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2020s | 79.70 billion billion cubic meters | 79.70 billion billion cubic meters | 79.70 billion billion cubic meters | 3 |
Countries ranked near Japan
- 7 Philippines 91.04 billion billion cubic meters compare
- 8 Mexico 89.80 billion billion cubic meters compare
- 9 Vietnam 81.86 billion billion cubic meters compare
- 11 Egypt 77.50 billion billion cubic meters compare
- 12 Brazil 67.94 billion billion cubic meters compare
- 13 Russia 64.82 billion billion cubic meters compare
More environment data for Japan
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -4.51 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -4.8 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.358 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.86 °C (2025)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate -3.12 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -2.8 % 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 -0.4957 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual freshwater withdrawals in Japan?
- Annual freshwater withdrawals in Japan was 79.70 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 Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 91.40 billion billion cubic meters in 1992.
- What is the lowest annual freshwater withdrawals recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 78.40 billion billion cubic meters in 2019.
- How does Japan rank for annual freshwater withdrawals?
- Japan ranks 10th out of 181 countries with data for 2022.
- Is annual freshwater withdrawals rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Japan 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.
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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.