Industrial water as a share of total water withdrawals in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Industrial water as a share of total water withdrawals was 5.4% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Industrial water as a share of total water withdrawals in Saudi Arabia, 1992–2022
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
In 2022, industrial water as a share of total water withdrawals in Saudi Arabia stood at 5.4%. That is the highest value across all 31 years on record.
The figure is up 33.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, industrial water as a share of total water withdrawals in Saudi Arabia peaked at 5.4% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 1.1%, in 1992.
Saudi Arabia ranks 102nd of 179 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 31 years of available data.
Industrial water as a share of total water withdrawals in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | % of total freshwater withdrawal | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 1.1% | — |
| 1993 | 1.2% | +3.3% |
| 1994 | 1.2% | +3.0% |
| 1995 | 1.2% | +2.8% |
| 1996 | 1.3% | +2.6% |
| 1997 | 1.3% | +2.4% |
| 1998 | 1.3% | +2.2% |
| 1999 | 1.4% | +2.1% |
| 2000 | 1.4% | +1.9% |
| 2001 | 1.7% | +25.1% |
| 2002 | 2.1% | +19.3% |
| 2003 | 2.4% | +15.6% |
| 2004 | 2.7% | +13.0% |
| 2005 | 2.9% | +5.7% |
| 2006 | 3.0% | +5.1% |
| 2007 | 3.2% | +5.2% |
| 2008 | 3.3% | +5.1% |
| 2009 | 3.5% | +5.1% |
| 2010 | 3.7% | +5.0% |
| 2011 | 3.8% | +5.0% |
| 2012 | 4.0% | +5.0% |
| 2013 | 4.0% | -1.0% |
| 2014 | 4.0% | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 3.9% | -0.9% |
| 2016 | 4.2% | +7.8% |
| 2017 | 4.3% | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 5.4% | +25.8% |
| 2019 | 5.4% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 5.4% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 5.4% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 5.4% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.3% | 1.1% | 1.4% | 8 |
| 2000s | 2.6% | 1.4% | 3.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.3% | 3.7% | 5.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.4% | 5.4% | 5.4% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
More environment data for Saudi Arabia
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -52.52 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -27.86 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.424 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.58 °C (2025)
- Plywood and LVL — Import quantity, annual growth rate 16.95 % change on previous year (2024)
- Plywood and LVL — Import quantity, per unit of GDP 0 m3 per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Plywood and LVL — Import quantity, per capita 0.0175 m3 per person (2024)
- Plywood and LVL — Import value, annual growth rate 5.48 % change on previous year (2024)
- Plywood and LVL — 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 Saudi Arabia?
- Industrial water as a share of total water withdrawals in Saudi Arabia was 5.4% 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 Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 5.4% in 2018.
- What is the lowest industrial water as a share of total water withdrawals recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.1% in 1992.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for industrial water as a share of total water withdrawals?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 102nd out of 179 countries with data for 2022.
- Is industrial water as a share of total water withdrawals rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 33.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia 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 — 31 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).