Annual freshwater withdrawals in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Annual freshwater withdrawals was 4.91 billion billion cubic meters in 2022. ▲ Rising
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.
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
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 30.78 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 1.85 t CO2e/capita (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 9.2 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 1.05 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 0.9067 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 0.0093 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 12.79 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 0.0022 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 0.0156 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 1.6 Mt CO2e (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 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.