Industrial water withdrawal in Belgium
Belgium: Industrial water withdrawal was 4.14 billion cubic meters in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
4.14 billion cubic meters
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
21st
of 180 countries
All-time high
7.68 billion cubic meters
in 1980
All-time low
3.21 billion cubic meters
in 2015
Years of data
44
1980–2023
Industrial water withdrawal in Belgium, 1980–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – AQUASTAT (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in cubic meters.
Analysis
Belgium recorded 4.14 billion cubic meters for industrial water withdrawal in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 6.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, industrial water withdrawal in Belgium peaked at 7.68 billion cubic meters in 1980 and was at its lowest, 3.21 billion cubic meters, in 2015.
That places Belgium 21st out of 180 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 44 years of available data.
Industrial water withdrawal in Belgium, year by year
| Year | cubic meters | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 7.68 billion cubic meters | — |
| 1981 | 7.67 billion cubic meters | -0.1% |
| 1982 | 7.65 billion cubic meters | -0.1% |
| 1983 | 7.64 billion cubic meters | -0.1% |
| 1984 | 7.63 billion cubic meters | -0.1% |
| 1985 | 7.62 billion cubic meters | -0.1% |
| 1986 | 7.61 billion cubic meters | -0.1% |
| 1987 | 7.60 billion cubic meters | -0.1% |
| 1988 | 7.59 billion cubic meters | -0.1% |
| 1989 | 7.58 billion cubic meters | -0.1% |
| 1990 | 7.57 billion cubic meters | -0.1% |
| 1991 | 7.56 billion cubic meters | -0.1% |
| 1992 | 7.54 billion cubic meters | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 7.53 billion cubic meters | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 7.52 billion cubic meters | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 7.51 billion cubic meters | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 7.16 billion cubic meters | -4.7% |
| 1997 | 6.80 billion cubic meters | -5.0% |
| 1998 | 6.78 billion cubic meters | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 6.77 billion cubic meters | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 6.75 billion cubic meters | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 6.36 billion cubic meters | -5.8% |
| 2002 | 5.96 billion cubic meters | -6.2% |
| 2003 | 5.85 billion cubic meters | -2.0% |
| 2004 | 5.73 billion cubic meters | -2.0% |
| 2005 | 5.61 billion cubic meters | -2.0% |
| 2006 | 5.53 billion cubic meters | -1.5% |
| 2007 | 5.45 billion cubic meters | -1.5% |
| 2008 | 5.35 billion cubic meters | -1.8% |
| 2009 | 5.26 billion cubic meters | -1.8% |
| 2010 | 4.92 billion cubic meters | -6.5% |
| 2011 | 4.57 billion cubic meters | -6.9% |
| 2012 | 4.23 billion cubic meters | -7.5% |
| 2013 | 3.89 billion cubic meters | -8.1% |
| 2014 | 3.55 billion cubic meters | -8.8% |
| 2015 | 3.21 billion cubic meters | -9.6% |
| 2016 | 3.34 billion cubic meters | +4.0% |
| 2017 | 3.47 billion cubic meters | +3.9% |
| 2018 | 3.39 billion cubic meters | -2.4% |
| 2019 | 3.31 billion cubic meters | -2.4% |
| 2020 | 3.63 billion cubic meters | +9.9% |
| 2021 | 4.14 billion cubic meters | +14.0% |
| 2022 | 4.14 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 4.14 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
Belgium compared with similar countries
- Belgium's 4.14 billion cubic meters is above the median for high income countries, which is 668.45 million cubic meters, 6.2× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Belgium's 4.14 billion cubic meters is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 806.76 million cubic meters, 5.1× the median. (49 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 7.63 billion cubic meters | 7.58 billion cubic meters | 7.68 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 1990s | 7.27 billion cubic meters | 6.77 billion cubic meters | 7.57 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.79 billion cubic meters | 5.26 billion cubic meters | 6.75 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.79 billion cubic meters | 3.21 billion cubic meters | 4.92 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.01 billion cubic meters | 3.63 billion cubic meters | 4.14 billion cubic meters | 4 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
- 18 Netherlands 5.05 billion cubic meters compare
- 19 South Africa 4.73 billion cubic meters compare
- 20 South Korea 4.45 billion cubic meters compare
- 22 Serbia 4.03 billion cubic meters compare
- 23 Argentina 4.00 billion cubic meters compare
- 24 Romania 3.92 billion cubic meters compare
More environment data for Belgium
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -5.46 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -6.46 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.574 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.19 °C (2025)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -0.4587 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) (Mt CO2e) -1.23 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) (Mt CO2e), per 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is industrial water withdrawal in Belgium?
- Industrial water withdrawal in Belgium was 4.14 billion cubic meters in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – AQUASTAT (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest industrial water withdrawal recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 7.68 billion cubic meters in 1980.
- What is the lowest industrial water withdrawal recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.21 billion cubic meters in 2015.
- How does Belgium rank for industrial water withdrawal?
- Belgium ranks 21st out of 180 countries with data for 2023.
- Is industrial water withdrawal rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Belgium data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – AQUASTAT (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Industrial water withdrawal. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 44 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Water withdrawn each year by self-supplied industries.