Freshwater - abstractions — Public water supply in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Freshwater - abstractions — Public water supply was 1,664 Cubic metres in 2014. ▼ Falling
Freshwater - abstractions — Public water supply in United Kingdom, 1975–2014
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Cubic metres.
Analysis
United Kingdom recorded 1,664 Cubic metres for freshwater - abstractions — public water supply in 2014. That is the lowest value across all 27 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.6% on the previous year and down 9.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, freshwater - abstractions — public water supply in United Kingdom peaked at 2,126 Cubic metres in 1989 and was at its lowest, 1,664 Cubic metres, in 2014.
United Kingdom ranks 7th of 27 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 27 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1,890 Cubic metres | 1,890 Cubic metres | 1,890 Cubic metres | 1 |
| 1980s | 2,008 Cubic metres | 1,918 Cubic metres | 2,126 Cubic metres | 3 |
| 1990s | 1,953 Cubic metres | 1,870 Cubic metres | 2,059 Cubic metres | 9 |
| 2000s | 1,803 Cubic metres | 1,722 Cubic metres | 1,902 Cubic metres | 9 |
| 2010s | 1,699 Cubic metres | 1,664 Cubic metres | 1,743 Cubic metres | 5 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More environment data for United Kingdom
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -3.13 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -7.25 Percentage change (2025)
- Exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 2.35 Percentage change (2024)
- Exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 1.22 Percentage change (2024)
- Heating Degree Days 5,420 (2024)
- Cooling Degree Days 28.37 (2024)
- Total fisheries production 981,329 metric tons (2024)
- Capture fisheries production 755,323 metric tons (2024)
- Aquaculture production 226,006 metric tons (2024)
- Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from Waste 2.03 Mt CO2e (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is freshwater - abstractions — public water supply in United Kingdom?
- Freshwater - abstractions — public water supply in United Kingdom was 1,664 Cubic metres in 2014, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- What is the highest freshwater - abstractions — public water supply recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 2,126 Cubic metres in 1989.
- What is the lowest freshwater - abstractions — public water supply recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,664 Cubic metres in 2014.
- How does United Kingdom rank for freshwater - abstractions — public water supply?
- United Kingdom ranks 7th out of 27 countries with data for 2014.
- Is freshwater - abstractions — public water supply rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
- The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Freshwater - abstractions — Public water supply. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 27 observations, free to reuse under OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required).
About this data
This dataset shows water abstractions by source (surface and ground water) and by major uses. Water abstractions refer to water taken from ground or surface water sources and conveyed to the place of use. If the water is returned to a surface water source, abstraction of the same water by the downstream user is counted again in compiling total abstractions. When interpreting those data, it should be borne in mind that the definitions and estimation methods employed by member countries may vary considerably. Data source(s): Joint OECD/Eurostat questionnaire on Inland Waters. Data for non-OECD countries is sourced from UNSD (Country Files from the UNSD/UNEP data collection on environment statistics (available at: https://unstats.un.org/unsd/envstats/country_files)) Contact: ENV.Stat@oecd.org Dataset release date: August 7, 2026 Country metadata - Métadonnées pays