Annual freshwater withdrawals in Pakistan
Pakistan: Annual freshwater withdrawals was 179.30 billion billion cubic meters in 2022. ▲ Rising
Annual freshwater withdrawals in Pakistan, 1975–2022
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
Pakistan recorded 179.30 billion billion cubic meters for annual freshwater withdrawals in 2022.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.6% on the previous year and down 4.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual freshwater withdrawals in Pakistan peaked at 199.97 billion billion cubic meters in 2017 and was at its lowest, 153.37 billion billion cubic meters, in 1975.
That places Pakistan 5th out of 181 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 48 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 153.65 billion billion cubic meters | 153.37 billion billion cubic meters | 153.93 billion billion cubic meters | 5 |
| 1980s | 154.69 billion billion cubic meters | 154.07 billion billion cubic meters | 155.32 billion billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 1990s | 162.37 billion billion cubic meters | 155.46 billion billion cubic meters | 170.68 billion billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2000s | 178.35 billion billion cubic meters | 172.56 billion billion cubic meters | 183.50 billion billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2010s | 189.75 billion billion cubic meters | 177.11 billion billion cubic meters | 199.97 billion billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2020s | 184.35 billion billion cubic meters | 179.30 billion billion cubic meters | 189.59 billion billion cubic meters | 3 |
Countries ranked near Pakistan
- 2 China 568.48 billion billion cubic meters compare
- 3 United States 444.29 billion billion cubic meters compare
- 4 Indonesia 222.63 billion billion cubic meters compare
- 6 Iran 92.95 billion billion cubic meters compare
- 7 Philippines 91.04 billion billion cubic meters compare
More environment data for Pakistan
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 525.88 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 2.09 t CO2e/capita (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 203.87 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 9.39 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 12.41 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 0.1976 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 250.9 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 0.0509 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 0.3976 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 24.59 Mt CO2e (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual freshwater withdrawals in Pakistan?
- Annual freshwater withdrawals in Pakistan was 179.30 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 Pakistan?
- The highest recorded value was 199.97 billion billion cubic meters in 2017.
- What is the lowest annual freshwater withdrawals recorded in Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 153.37 billion billion cubic meters in 1975.
- How does Pakistan rank for annual freshwater withdrawals?
- Pakistan ranks 5th out of 181 countries with data for 2022.
- Is annual freshwater withdrawals rising or falling in Pakistan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Pakistan 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 — 48 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.