Industrial water withdrawal in Germany
Germany: Industrial water withdrawal was 12.34 billion cubic meters in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
12.34 billion cubic meters
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
8th
of 180 countries
All-time high
39.41 billion cubic meters
in 1991
All-time low
12.34 billion cubic meters
in 2022
Years of data
33
1991–2023
Industrial water withdrawal in Germany, 1991–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – AQUASTAT (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in cubic meters.
Analysis
Germany recorded 12.34 billion cubic meters for industrial water withdrawal in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 33 years on record.
The figure is down 37.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, industrial water withdrawal in Germany peaked at 39.41 billion cubic meters in 1991 and was at its lowest, 12.34 billion cubic meters, in 2022.
That places Germany 8th out of 180 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.
Industrial water withdrawal in Germany, year by year
| Year | cubic meters | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 39.41 billion cubic meters | — |
| 1992 | 38.11 billion cubic meters | -3.3% |
| 1993 | 37.56 billion cubic meters | -1.4% |
| 1994 | 37.08 billion cubic meters | -1.3% |
| 1995 | 36.52 billion cubic meters | -1.5% |
| 1996 | 35.78 billion cubic meters | -2.0% |
| 1997 | 35.61 billion cubic meters | -0.5% |
| 1998 | 34.42 billion cubic meters | -3.3% |
| 1999 | 33.77 billion cubic meters | -1.9% |
| 2000 | 33.23 billion cubic meters | -1.6% |
| 2001 | 32.19 billion cubic meters | -3.2% |
| 2002 | 31.93 billion cubic meters | -0.8% |
| 2003 | 30.82 billion cubic meters | -3.5% |
| 2004 | 30.11 billion cubic meters | -2.3% |
| 2005 | 28.93 billion cubic meters | -3.9% |
| 2006 | 28.34 billion cubic meters | -2.0% |
| 2007 | 27.04 billion cubic meters | -4.6% |
| 2008 | 27.53 billion cubic meters | +1.8% |
| 2009 | 28.04 billion cubic meters | +1.8% |
| 2010 | 27.59 billion cubic meters | -1.6% |
| 2011 | 24.37 billion cubic meters | -11.6% |
| 2012 | 21.33 billion cubic meters | -12.5% |
| 2013 | 19.76 billion cubic meters | -7.3% |
| 2014 | 19.55 billion cubic meters | -1.1% |
| 2015 | 17.98 billion cubic meters | -8.0% |
| 2016 | 18.75 billion cubic meters | +4.3% |
| 2017 | 16.49 billion cubic meters | -12.1% |
| 2018 | 15.56 billion cubic meters | -5.6% |
| 2019 | 14.53 billion cubic meters | -6.6% |
| 2020 | 14.99 billion cubic meters | +3.2% |
| 2021 | 13.43 billion cubic meters | -10.4% |
| 2022 | 12.34 billion cubic meters | -8.1% |
| 2023 | 12.34 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
Germany compared with similar countries
- Germany's 12.34 billion cubic meters is above the median for high income countries, which is 668.45 million cubic meters, 18.5× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Germany's 12.34 billion cubic meters is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 806.76 million cubic meters, 15.3× the median. (49 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 36.47 billion cubic meters | 33.77 billion cubic meters | 39.41 billion cubic meters | 9 |
| 2000s | 29.82 billion cubic meters | 27.04 billion cubic meters | 33.23 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2010s | 19.59 billion cubic meters | 14.53 billion cubic meters | 27.59 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.28 billion cubic meters | 12.34 billion cubic meters | 14.99 billion cubic meters | 4 |
Countries ranked near Germany
More environment data for Germany
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -4.12 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -4.36 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.613 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.11 °C (2025)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -0.3139 % 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) -1.44 % 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 Germany?
- Industrial water withdrawal in Germany was 12.34 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 Germany?
- The highest recorded value was 39.41 billion cubic meters in 1991.
- What is the lowest industrial water withdrawal recorded in Germany?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.34 billion cubic meters in 2022.
- How does Germany rank for industrial water withdrawal?
- Germany ranks 8th out of 180 countries with data for 2023.
- Is industrial water withdrawal rising or falling in Germany?
- Over the last ten years it is down 37.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Germany 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 — 33 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Water withdrawn each year by self-supplied industries.