Annual freshwater withdrawals in Kenya
Kenya: Annual freshwater withdrawals was 4.03 billion billion cubic meters in 2022. ▲ Rising
Annual freshwater withdrawals in Kenya, 1990–2022
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 Kenya is 4.03 billion billion cubic meters, measured in 2022. That is the highest value across all 33 years on record.
That represents a change of up 25.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual freshwater withdrawals in Kenya peaked at 4.03 billion billion cubic meters in 2016 and was at its lowest, 1.56 billion billion cubic meters, in 2000.
That places Kenya 72nd out of 181 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.
Annual freshwater withdrawals in Kenya, year by year
| Year | billion cubic meters | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 2.05 billion billion cubic meters | — |
| 1991 | 2.00 billion billion cubic meters | -2.4% |
| 1992 | 1.95 billion billion cubic meters | -2.4% |
| 1993 | 1.90 billion billion cubic meters | -2.5% |
| 1994 | 1.85 billion billion cubic meters | -2.6% |
| 1995 | 1.80 billion billion cubic meters | -2.6% |
| 1996 | 1.76 billion billion cubic meters | -2.7% |
| 1997 | 1.71 billion billion cubic meters | -2.8% |
| 1998 | 1.66 billion billion cubic meters | -2.9% |
| 1999 | 1.61 billion billion cubic meters | -3.0% |
| 2000 | 1.56 billion billion cubic meters | -3.0% |
| 2001 | 1.81 billion billion cubic meters | +16.2% |
| 2002 | 2.07 billion billion cubic meters | +14.0% |
| 2003 | 2.32 billion billion cubic meters | +12.3% |
| 2004 | 2.45 billion billion cubic meters | +5.5% |
| 2005 | 2.58 billion billion cubic meters | +5.2% |
| 2006 | 2.70 billion billion cubic meters | +5.0% |
| 2007 | 2.83 billion billion cubic meters | +4.7% |
| 2008 | 2.96 billion billion cubic meters | +4.5% |
| 2009 | 3.09 billion billion cubic meters | +4.3% |
| 2010 | 3.22 billion billion cubic meters | +4.2% |
| 2011 | 3.22 billion billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 3.22 billion billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 3.22 billion billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 3.22 billion billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 3.22 billion billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 4.03 billion billion cubic meters | +25.2% |
| 2017 | 4.03 billion billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 4.03 billion billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 4.03 billion billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 4.03 billion billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 4.03 billion billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 4.03 billion billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 4.03 billion billion cubic meters is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.51 billion billion cubic meters, 2.7× the median. (44 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 4.03 billion billion cubic meters is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 694.65 million billion cubic meters, 5.8× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Annual freshwater withdrawals in Kenya 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | +25.2% | 3.22 billion billion cubic meters | 4.03 billion billion cubic meters |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.83 billion billion cubic meters | 1.61 billion billion cubic meters | 2.05 billion billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.44 billion billion cubic meters | 1.56 billion billion cubic meters | 3.09 billion billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.54 billion billion cubic meters | 3.22 billion billion cubic meters | 4.03 billion billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.03 billion billion cubic meters | 4.03 billion billion cubic meters | 4.03 billion billion cubic meters | 3 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
- 69 Hungary 4.69 billion billion cubic meters compare
- 70 Uruguay 4.51 billion billion cubic meters compare
- 71 Belgium 4.30 billion billion cubic meters compare
- 73 Tunisia 3.86 billion billion cubic meters compare
- 74 Yemen 3.56 billion billion cubic meters compare
- 75 Costa Rica 3.45 billion billion cubic meters compare
More environment data for Kenya
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -8.08 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -4.73 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.27 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.12 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.25 % 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 2.87 % 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 Kenya?
- Annual freshwater withdrawals in Kenya was 4.03 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 Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 4.03 billion billion cubic meters in 2016.
- What is the lowest annual freshwater withdrawals recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.56 billion billion cubic meters in 2000.
- How does Kenya rank for annual freshwater withdrawals?
- Kenya ranks 72nd out of 181 countries with data for 2022.
- Is annual freshwater withdrawals rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 25.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Kenya 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 — 33 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.