Industrial water withdrawal in China
China: Industrial water withdrawal was 103.04 billion cubic meters in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
103.04 billion cubic meters
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
2nd
of 180 countries
All-time high
146.20 billion cubic meters
in 2011
All-time low
33.40 billion cubic meters
in 1984
Years of data
44
1980–2023
Industrial water withdrawal in China, 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
In 2023, industrial water withdrawal in China stood at 103.04 billion cubic meters.
That represents a change of down 26.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, industrial water withdrawal in China peaked at 146.20 billion cubic meters in 2011 and was at its lowest, 33.40 billion cubic meters, in 1984.
China ranks 2nd of 180 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 44 years of available data.
Industrial water withdrawal in China, year by year
| Year | cubic meters | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 45.73 billion cubic meters | — |
| 1981 | 42.65 billion cubic meters | -6.7% |
| 1982 | 39.56 billion cubic meters | -7.2% |
| 1983 | 36.48 billion cubic meters | -7.8% |
| 1984 | 33.40 billion cubic meters | -8.4% |
| 1985 | 36.17 billion cubic meters | +8.3% |
| 1986 | 38.94 billion cubic meters | +7.6% |
| 1987 | 41.70 billion cubic meters | +7.1% |
| 1988 | 44.47 billion cubic meters | +6.6% |
| 1989 | 47.23 billion cubic meters | +6.2% |
| 1990 | 50.00 billion cubic meters | +5.9% |
| 1991 | 64.18 billion cubic meters | +28.4% |
| 1992 | 78.37 billion cubic meters | +22.1% |
| 1993 | 92.55 billion cubic meters | +18.1% |
| 1994 | 95.60 billion cubic meters | +3.3% |
| 1995 | 98.65 billion cubic meters | +3.2% |
| 1996 | 101.70 billion cubic meters | +3.1% |
| 1997 | 104.75 billion cubic meters | +3.0% |
| 1998 | 107.80 billion cubic meters | +2.9% |
| 1999 | 110.85 billion cubic meters | +2.8% |
| 2000 | 113.90 billion cubic meters | +2.8% |
| 2001 | 116.84 billion cubic meters | +2.6% |
| 2002 | 119.78 billion cubic meters | +2.5% |
| 2003 | 122.72 billion cubic meters | +2.5% |
| 2004 | 125.66 billion cubic meters | +2.4% |
| 2005 | 128.60 billion cubic meters | +2.3% |
| 2006 | 134.40 billion cubic meters | +4.5% |
| 2007 | 140.30 billion cubic meters | +4.4% |
| 2008 | 139.70 billion cubic meters | -0.4% |
| 2009 | 139.10 billion cubic meters | -0.4% |
| 2010 | 144.70 billion cubic meters | +4.0% |
| 2011 | 146.20 billion cubic meters | +1.0% |
| 2012 | 142.40 billion cubic meters | -2.6% |
| 2013 | 140.60 billion cubic meters | -1.3% |
| 2014 | 135.60 billion cubic meters | -3.6% |
| 2015 | 133.50 billion cubic meters | -1.5% |
| 2016 | 130.80 billion cubic meters | -2.0% |
| 2017 | 127.70 billion cubic meters | -2.4% |
| 2018 | 126.16 billion cubic meters | -1.2% |
| 2019 | 121.76 billion cubic meters | -3.5% |
| 2020 | 103.04 billion cubic meters | -15.4% |
| 2021 | 103.04 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 103.04 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 103.04 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 103.04 billion cubic meters is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 448.00 million cubic meters, 230.0× the median. (53 countries reporting)
- China's 103.04 billion cubic meters is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1.18 billion cubic meters, 87.0× the median. (19 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 40.63 billion cubic meters | 33.40 billion cubic meters | 47.23 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 1990s | 90.44 billion cubic meters | 50.00 billion cubic meters | 110.85 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2000s | 128.10 billion cubic meters | 113.90 billion cubic meters | 140.30 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2010s | 134.94 billion cubic meters | 121.76 billion cubic meters | 146.20 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2020s | 103.04 billion cubic meters | 103.04 billion cubic meters | 103.04 billion cubic meters | 4 |
Countries ranked near China
More environment data for China
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.279 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.92 °C (2025)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -0.2291 % 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) 0.6695 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) (Mt CO2e), per 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) (Mt CO2e), per 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) (Mt CO2e), annual 2.28 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is industrial water withdrawal in China?
- Industrial water withdrawal in China was 103.04 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 China?
- The highest recorded value was 146.20 billion cubic meters in 2011.
- What is the lowest industrial water withdrawal recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 33.40 billion cubic meters in 1984.
- How does China rank for industrial water withdrawal?
- China ranks 2nd out of 180 countries with data for 2023.
- Is industrial water withdrawal rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 26.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this China 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.