Industrial water withdrawal in Botswana
Botswana: Industrial water withdrawal was 31.00 million cubic meters in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
31.00 million cubic meters
Change on year
up 27.6%
World rank
130th
of 180 countries
All-time high
38.90 million cubic meters
in 2005
All-time low
23.00 million cubic meters
in 1992
Years of data
32
1992–2023
Industrial water withdrawal in Botswana, 1992–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – AQUASTAT (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in cubic meters.
Analysis
Botswana recorded 31.00 million cubic meters for industrial water withdrawal in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 27.6% on the previous year and down 7.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, industrial water withdrawal in Botswana peaked at 38.90 million cubic meters in 2005 and was at its lowest, 23.00 million cubic meters, in 1992.
That places Botswana 130th out of 180 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 32 years of available data.
Industrial water withdrawal in Botswana, year by year
| Year | cubic meters | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 23.00 million cubic meters | — |
| 1993 | 24.50 million cubic meters | +6.5% |
| 1994 | 26.00 million cubic meters | +6.1% |
| 1995 | 27.50 million cubic meters | +5.8% |
| 1996 | 29.00 million cubic meters | +5.5% |
| 1997 | 30.50 million cubic meters | +5.2% |
| 1998 | 32.00 million cubic meters | +4.9% |
| 1999 | 33.50 million cubic meters | +4.7% |
| 2000 | 35.00 million cubic meters | +4.5% |
| 2001 | 35.78 million cubic meters | +2.2% |
| 2002 | 36.56 million cubic meters | +2.2% |
| 2003 | 37.34 million cubic meters | +2.1% |
| 2004 | 38.12 million cubic meters | +2.1% |
| 2005 | 38.90 million cubic meters | +2.0% |
| 2006 | 37.83 million cubic meters | -2.7% |
| 2007 | 36.77 million cubic meters | -2.8% |
| 2008 | 35.70 million cubic meters | -2.9% |
| 2009 | 34.63 million cubic meters | -3.0% |
| 2010 | 33.57 million cubic meters | -3.1% |
| 2011 | 32.50 million cubic meters | -3.2% |
| 2012 | 36.30 million cubic meters | +11.7% |
| 2013 | 33.55 million cubic meters | -7.6% |
| 2014 | 30.80 million cubic meters | -8.2% |
| 2015 | 31.10 million cubic meters | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 24.00 million cubic meters | -22.8% |
| 2017 | 23.40 million cubic meters | -2.5% |
| 2018 | 27.20 million cubic meters | +16.2% |
| 2019 | 28.20 million cubic meters | +3.7% |
| 2020 | 29.76 million cubic meters | +5.5% |
| 2021 | 27.55 million cubic meters | -7.4% |
| 2022 | 24.30 million cubic meters | -11.8% |
| 2023 | 31.00 million cubic meters | +27.6% |
Botswana compared with similar countries
- Botswana's 31.00 million cubic meters is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 448.00 million cubic meters, 7% of the median. (53 countries reporting)
- Botswana's 31.00 million cubic meters is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 27.50 million cubic meters, 1.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 28.25 million cubic meters | 23.00 million cubic meters | 33.50 million cubic meters | 8 |
| 2000s | 36.66 million cubic meters | 34.63 million cubic meters | 38.90 million cubic meters | 10 |
| 2010s | 30.06 million cubic meters | 23.40 million cubic meters | 36.30 million cubic meters | 10 |
| 2020s | 28.15 million cubic meters | 24.30 million cubic meters | 31.00 million cubic meters | 4 |
Countries ranked near Botswana
- 127 Cambodia 33.00 million cubic meters compare
- 128 Bolivia 32.00 million cubic meters compare
- 129 Mauritania 31.80 million cubic meters compare
- 131 Benin 30.00 million cubic meters compare
- 132 Nepal 29.50 million cubic meters compare
- 133 Mozambique 25.00 million cubic meters compare
- 133 Tanzania 25.00 million cubic meters compare
More environment data for Botswana
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 6.04 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 6.49 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.381 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 0.443 °C (2025)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -0.4736 % 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) 0 % 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 Botswana?
- Industrial water withdrawal in Botswana was 31.00 million 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 Botswana?
- The highest recorded value was 38.90 million cubic meters in 2005.
- What is the lowest industrial water withdrawal recorded in Botswana?
- The lowest recorded value was 23.00 million cubic meters in 1992.
- How does Botswana rank for industrial water withdrawal?
- Botswana ranks 130th out of 180 countries with data for 2023.
- Is industrial water withdrawal rising or falling in Botswana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Botswana 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 — 32 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Water withdrawn each year by self-supplied industries.