Industrial water as a share of total water withdrawals in Germany
Germany: Industrial water as a share of total water withdrawals was 54.3% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Industrial water as a share of total water withdrawals in Germany, 1991–2022
Source: AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, FAO, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of total freshwater withdrawal.
Analysis
Germany recorded 54.3% for industrial water as a share of total water withdrawals in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 32 years on record.
That represents a change of down 16.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, industrial water as a share of total water withdrawals in Germany peaked at 76.9% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 54.3%, in 2019.
Germany ranks 17th of 179 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 32 years of available data.
Industrial water as a share of total water withdrawals in Germany, year by year
| Year | % of total freshwater withdrawal | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 76.9% | — |
| 1992 | 76.3% | -0.8% |
| 1993 | 75.8% | -0.6% |
| 1994 | 75.4% | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 74.8% | -0.8% |
| 1996 | 74.9% | +0.2% |
| 1997 | 75.1% | +0.3% |
| 1998 | 75.1% | -0.0% |
| 1999 | 74.4% | -0.9% |
| 2000 | 74.0% | -0.6% |
| 2001 | 71.9% | -2.7% |
| 2002 | 73.1% | +1.6% |
| 2003 | 72.5% | -0.8% |
| 2004 | 72.5% | -0.0% |
| 2005 | 71.6% | -1.2% |
| 2006 | 71.0% | -0.9% |
| 2007 | 69.5% | -2.1% |
| 2008 | 70.0% | +0.8% |
| 2009 | 71.0% | +1.3% |
| 2010 | 70.0% | -1.4% |
| 2011 | 68.0% | -2.8% |
| 2012 | 65.3% | -4.0% |
| 2013 | 62.4% | -4.4% |
| 2014 | 62.7% | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 60.9% | -2.8% |
| 2016 | 61.6% | +1.2% |
| 2017 | 58.8% | -4.6% |
| 2018 | 56.5% | -3.8% |
| 2019 | 54.3% | -4.0% |
| 2020 | 54.3% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 54.3% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 54.3% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 75.4% | 74.4% | 76.9% | 9 |
| 2000s | 71.7% | 69.5% | 74.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 62.1% | 54.3% | 70.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 54.3% | 54.3% | 54.3% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Germany
More environment data for Germany
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -4.12 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -4.36 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.613 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.11 °C (2025)
- Paper and paperboard — Import quantity, annual growth rate 6.59 % change on previous year (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Import quantity, per unit of GDP 0 t per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Import quantity, per capita 0.1063 t per person (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Import value, annual growth rate -3.63 % change on previous year (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Import value, per unit of GDP 0 1000 USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is industrial water as a share of total water withdrawals in Germany?
- Industrial water as a share of total water withdrawals in Germany was 54.3% 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 industrial water as a share of total water withdrawals recorded in Germany?
- The highest recorded value was 76.9% in 1991.
- What is the lowest industrial water as a share of total water withdrawals recorded in Germany?
- The lowest recorded value was 54.3% in 2019.
- How does Germany rank for industrial water as a share of total water withdrawals?
- Germany ranks 17th out of 179 countries with data for 2022.
- Is industrial water as a share of total water withdrawals rising or falling in Germany?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Germany 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 Industrial water as a share of total water withdrawals. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 32 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Industrial water withdrawals as a percentage of total water withdrawals (which is the sum of water used for agriculture, industry, and municipal purposes).