Annual freshwater withdrawals in Switzerland

Switzerland: Annual freshwater withdrawals was 1.70 billion billion cubic meters in 2022. ▼ Falling

Latest (2022)
1.70 billion billion cubic meters
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
92nd
of 181 countries
All-time high
2.69 billion billion cubic meters
in 1992
All-time low
1.70 billion billion cubic meters
in 2014
Years of data
48
1975–2022

Annual freshwater withdrawals in Switzerland, 1975–2022

01.0B2.0B3.0B197519982022

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 Switzerland is 1.70 billion billion cubic meters, measured in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 48 years on record.

That represents a change of down 14.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, annual freshwater withdrawals in Switzerland peaked at 2.69 billion billion cubic meters in 1992 and was at its lowest, 1.70 billion billion cubic meters, in 2014.

Switzerland ranks 92nd of 181 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 48 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 2.59 billion billion cubic meters 2.59 billion billion cubic meters 2.60 billion billion cubic meters 5
1980s 2.64 billion billion cubic meters 2.59 billion billion cubic meters 2.67 billion billion cubic meters 10
1990s 2.62 billion billion cubic meters 2.54 billion billion cubic meters 2.69 billion billion cubic meters 10
2000s 2.38 billion billion cubic meters 2.16 billion billion cubic meters 2.53 billion billion cubic meters 10
2010s 1.81 billion billion cubic meters 1.70 billion billion cubic meters 2.11 billion billion cubic meters 10
2020s 1.70 billion billion cubic meters 1.70 billion billion cubic meters 1.70 billion billion cubic meters 3

Countries ranked near Switzerland

  1. 89 North Macedonia 2.17 billion billion cubic meters compare
  2. 90 El Salvador 1.94 billion billion cubic meters compare
  3. 91 Lebanon 1.81 billion billion cubic meters compare
  4. 93 Ireland 1.67 billion billion cubic meters compare
  5. 94 Oman 1.63 billion billion cubic meters compare
  6. 95 Honduras 1.61 billion billion cubic meters compare

See the full ranking of 181 places →

More environment data for Switzerland

All data for Switzerland →

Frequently asked questions

What is annual freshwater withdrawals in Switzerland?
Annual freshwater withdrawals in Switzerland was 1.70 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 Switzerland?
The highest recorded value was 2.69 billion billion cubic meters in 1992.
What is the lowest annual freshwater withdrawals recorded in Switzerland?
The lowest recorded value was 1.70 billion billion cubic meters in 2014.
How does Switzerland rank for annual freshwater withdrawals?
Switzerland ranks 92nd out of 181 countries with data for 2022.
Is annual freshwater withdrawals rising or falling in Switzerland?
Over the last ten years it is down 14.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Switzerland 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

Indicator
Annual freshwater withdrawals
Unit
billion cubic meters
Source
AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, FAO, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
181 places, 6,284 data points, 1962–2022
Last refreshed

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.