Annual freshwater withdrawals in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Annual freshwater withdrawals was 4.91 billion billion cubic meters in 2022. ▲ Rising
Latest (2022)
4.91 billion billion cubic meters
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
67th
of 181 countries
All-time high
4.91 billion billion cubic meters
in 2020
All-time low
1.22 billion billion cubic meters
in 1987
Years of data
36
1987–2022
Annual freshwater withdrawals in Zimbabwe, 1987–2022
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 Zimbabwe stood at 4.91 billion billion cubic meters. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 41.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual freshwater withdrawals in Zimbabwe peaked at 4.91 billion billion cubic meters in 2020 and was at its lowest, 1.22 billion billion cubic meters, in 1987.
That places Zimbabwe 67th 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 36 years of available data.
Annual freshwater withdrawals in Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | billion cubic meters | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 1.22 billion billion cubic meters | — |
| 1988 | 1.42 billion billion cubic meters | +16.3% |
| 1989 | 1.62 billion billion cubic meters | +14.0% |
| 1990 | 1.82 billion billion cubic meters | +12.3% |
| 1991 | 2.02 billion billion cubic meters | +11.0% |
| 1992 | 2.21 billion billion cubic meters | +9.9% |
| 1993 | 2.41 billion billion cubic meters | +9.0% |
| 1994 | 2.61 billion billion cubic meters | +8.2% |
| 1995 | 2.81 billion billion cubic meters | +7.6% |
| 1996 | 3.01 billion billion cubic meters | +7.1% |
| 1997 | 3.21 billion billion cubic meters | +6.6% |
| 1998 | 3.41 billion billion cubic meters | +6.2% |
| 1999 | 3.61 billion billion cubic meters | +5.8% |
| 2000 | 3.81 billion billion cubic meters | +5.5% |
| 2001 | 4.01 billion billion cubic meters | +5.2% |
| 2002 | 4.21 billion billion cubic meters | +5.0% |
| 2003 | 4.08 billion billion cubic meters | -3.0% |
| 2004 | 3.95 billion billion cubic meters | -3.1% |
| 2005 | 3.82 billion billion cubic meters | -3.2% |
| 2006 | 3.70 billion billion cubic meters | -3.3% |
| 2007 | 3.57 billion billion cubic meters | -3.4% |
| 2008 | 3.55 billion billion cubic meters | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 3.53 billion billion cubic meters | -0.6% |
| 2010 | 3.50 billion billion cubic meters | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 3.48 billion billion cubic meters | -0.6% |
| 2012 | 3.46 billion billion cubic meters | -0.6% |
| 2013 | 3.44 billion billion cubic meters | -0.6% |
| 2014 | 3.42 billion billion cubic meters | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 3.40 billion billion cubic meters | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 3.40 billion billion cubic meters | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 3.34 billion billion cubic meters | -1.9% |
| 2018 | 3.77 billion billion cubic meters | +12.9% |
| 2019 | 4.24 billion billion cubic meters | +12.3% |
| 2020 | 4.91 billion billion cubic meters | +15.9% |
| 2021 | 4.91 billion billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 4.91 billion billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
Zimbabwe compared with similar countries
- Zimbabwe's 4.91 billion billion cubic meters is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.51 billion billion cubic meters, 3.2× the median. (44 countries reporting)
- Zimbabwe's 4.91 billion billion cubic meters is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 694.65 million billion cubic meters, 7.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.42 billion billion cubic meters | 1.22 billion billion cubic meters | 1.62 billion billion cubic meters | 3 |
| 1990s | 2.71 billion billion cubic meters | 1.82 billion billion cubic meters | 3.61 billion billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.82 billion billion cubic meters | 3.53 billion billion cubic meters | 4.21 billion billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.54 billion billion cubic meters | 3.34 billion billion cubic meters | 4.24 billion billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.91 billion billion cubic meters | 4.91 billion billion cubic meters | 4.91 billion billion cubic meters | 3 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
- 64 Mali 5.19 billion billion cubic meters compare
- 65 Tanzania 5.18 billion billion cubic meters compare
- 66 Serbia 5.09 billion billion cubic meters compare
- 68 Ukraine 4.86 billion billion cubic meters compare
- 69 Hungary 4.69 billion billion cubic meters compare
- 70 Uruguay 4.51 billion billion cubic meters compare
More environment data for Zimbabwe
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 2.93 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 3.29 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.311 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.06 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.19 % 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 1.53 % 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 Zimbabwe?
- Annual freshwater withdrawals in Zimbabwe was 4.91 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 Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 4.91 billion billion cubic meters in 2020.
- What is the lowest annual freshwater withdrawals recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.22 billion billion cubic meters in 1987.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for annual freshwater withdrawals?
- Zimbabwe ranks 67th out of 181 countries with data for 2022.
- Is annual freshwater withdrawals rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is up 41.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zimbabwe 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 — 36 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.