Industrial water as a share of total water withdrawals in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Industrial water as a share of total water withdrawals was 26.2% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Industrial water as a share of total water withdrawals in Sierra Leone, 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 % of total freshwater withdrawal.
Analysis
Sierra Leone recorded 26.2% for industrial water as a share of total water withdrawals in 2022. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, industrial water as a share of total water withdrawals in Sierra Leone peaked at 26.2% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 4.1%, in 1987.
Sierra Leone ranks 45th of 179 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Industrial water as a share of total water withdrawals in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | % of total freshwater withdrawal | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 4.1% | — |
| 1988 | 5.5% | +34.5% |
| 1989 | 7.4% | +34.8% |
| 1990 | 10.1% | +37.1% |
| 1991 | 14.3% | +42.2% |
| 1992 | 21.9% | +52.6% |
| 1993 | 22.5% | +2.7% |
| 1994 | 23.0% | +2.3% |
| 1995 | 23.5% | +2.1% |
| 1996 | 23.9% | +1.8% |
| 1997 | 24.3% | +1.6% |
| 1998 | 24.6% | +1.4% |
| 1999 | 25.0% | +1.3% |
| 2000 | 25.3% | +1.2% |
| 2001 | 25.4% | +0.8% |
| 2002 | 25.6% | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 25.8% | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 26.0% | +0.7% |
| 2005 | 26.2% | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 26.2% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 26.2% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 26.2% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 26.2% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 26.2% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 26.2% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 26.2% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 26.2% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 26.2% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 26.2% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 26.2% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 26.2% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 26.2% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 26.2% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 26.2% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 26.2% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 26.2% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 5.6% | 4.1% | 7.4% | 3 |
| 1990s | 21.3% | 10.1% | 25.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 25.9% | 25.3% | 26.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 26.2% | 26.2% | 26.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 26.2% | 26.2% | 26.2% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
- 42 Seychelles 27.7% compare
- 43 Georgia 27.4% compare
- 44 Congo 26.2% compare
- 46 New Zealand 24.0% compare
- 47 Kazakhstan 23.9% compare
- 48 South Africa 23.2% compare
More environment data for Sierra Leone
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -5.4 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -5.39 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.232 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.28 °C (2025)
- Paper and paperboard — Import quantity, annual growth rate -31.66 % 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 0.0003 t per person (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Import value, annual growth rate -31.69 % 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 Sierra Leone?
- Industrial water as a share of total water withdrawals in Sierra Leone was 26.2% 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 Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 26.2% in 2005.
- What is the lowest industrial water as a share of total water withdrawals recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.1% in 1987.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for industrial water as a share of total water withdrawals?
- Sierra Leone ranks 45th out of 179 countries with data for 2022.
- Is industrial water as a share of total water withdrawals rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sierra Leone 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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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).