Annual freshwater withdrawals in South Korea
South Korea: Annual freshwater withdrawals was 29.20 billion billion cubic meters in 2022. ▲ Rising
Annual freshwater withdrawals in South Korea, 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 South Korea is 29.20 billion billion cubic meters, measured in 2022. That is the highest value across all 33 years on record.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual freshwater withdrawals in South Korea peaked at 29.20 billion billion cubic meters in 2005 and was at its lowest, 20.57 billion billion cubic meters, in 1990.
South Korea ranks 24th of 181 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 23.72 billion billion cubic meters | 20.57 billion billion cubic meters | 26.93 billion billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2000s | 28.96 billion billion cubic meters | 27.68 billion billion cubic meters | 29.20 billion billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2010s | 29.20 billion billion cubic meters | 29.20 billion billion cubic meters | 29.20 billion billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2020s | 29.20 billion billion cubic meters | 29.20 billion billion cubic meters | 29.20 billion billion cubic meters | 3 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
- 21 Chile 35.37 billion billion cubic meters compare
- 22 Italy 33.78 billion billion cubic meters compare
- 23 Myanmar 33.23 billion billion cubic meters compare
- 25 Spain 29.02 billion billion cubic meters compare
- 26 Sudan 26.93 billion billion cubic meters compare
- 27 Turkmenistan 26.25 billion billion cubic meters compare
More environment data for South Korea
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 668.25 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 12.91 t CO2e/capita (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 21.02 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 0.3304 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 3.86 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 0.1549 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 44.74 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 0.2523 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 0.2291 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 18.6 Mt CO2e (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual freshwater withdrawals in South Korea?
- Annual freshwater withdrawals in South Korea was 29.20 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 South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 29.20 billion billion cubic meters in 2005.
- What is the lowest annual freshwater withdrawals recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 20.57 billion billion cubic meters in 1990.
- How does South Korea rank for annual freshwater withdrawals?
- South Korea ranks 24th out of 181 countries with data for 2022.
- Is annual freshwater withdrawals rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Korea 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 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.