Annual freshwater withdrawals in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Annual freshwater withdrawals was 8.42 billion billion cubic meters in 2022. ▼ Falling
Annual freshwater withdrawals in United Kingdom, 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
In 2022, annual freshwater withdrawals in United Kingdom stood at 8.42 billion billion cubic meters.
That represents a change of up 5.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual freshwater withdrawals in United Kingdom peaked at 13.48 billion billion cubic meters in 1980 and was at its lowest, 7.29 billion billion cubic meters, in 2014.
United Kingdom ranks 53rd of 181 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 43 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 12.20 billion billion cubic meters | 11.50 billion billion cubic meters | 13.48 billion billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 1990s | 12.15 billion billion cubic meters | 12.02 billion billion cubic meters | 12.41 billion billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2000s | 11.42 billion billion cubic meters | 8.28 billion billion cubic meters | 12.96 billion billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.07 billion billion cubic meters | 7.29 billion billion cubic meters | 8.42 billion billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.42 billion billion cubic meters | 8.42 billion billion cubic meters | 8.42 billion billion cubic meters | 3 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
- 50 Nepal 9.50 billion billion cubic meters compare
- 51 Poland 9.38 billion billion cubic meters compare
- 52 North Korea 8.66 billion billion cubic meters compare
- 54 Netherlands 8.23 billion billion cubic meters compare
- 55 Romania 8.15 billion billion cubic meters compare
- 56 Kyrgyzstan 7.71 billion billion cubic meters compare
More environment data for United Kingdom
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 386.7 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 5.58 t CO2e/capita (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 31.55 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 0.7351 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 3.35 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 0.078 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 58.88 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 0.3113 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 0.1931 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 22.62 Mt CO2e (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual freshwater withdrawals in United Kingdom?
- Annual freshwater withdrawals in United Kingdom was 8.42 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 United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 13.48 billion billion cubic meters in 1980.
- What is the lowest annual freshwater withdrawals recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.29 billion billion cubic meters in 2014.
- How does United Kingdom rank for annual freshwater withdrawals?
- United Kingdom ranks 53rd out of 181 countries with data for 2022.
- Is annual freshwater withdrawals rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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 — 43 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.