Industrial water withdrawal in Kenya
Kenya: Industrial water withdrawal was 115.36 million cubic meters in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
115.36 million cubic meters
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
99th
of 180 countries
All-time high
303.00 million cubic meters
in 2016
All-time low
80.00 million cubic meters
in 1990
Years of data
34
1990–2023
Industrial water withdrawal in Kenya, 1990–2023
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 Kenya stood at 115.36 million cubic meters.
That represents a change of down 7.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, industrial water withdrawal in Kenya peaked at 303.00 million cubic meters in 2016 and was at its lowest, 80.00 million cubic meters, in 1990.
That places Kenya 99th out of 180 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Industrial water withdrawal in Kenya, year by year
| Year | cubic meters | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 80.00 million cubic meters | — |
| 1991 | 81.54 million cubic meters | +1.9% |
| 1992 | 83.08 million cubic meters | +1.9% |
| 1993 | 84.62 million cubic meters | +1.9% |
| 1994 | 86.15 million cubic meters | +1.8% |
| 1995 | 87.69 million cubic meters | +1.8% |
| 1996 | 89.23 million cubic meters | +1.8% |
| 1997 | 90.77 million cubic meters | +1.7% |
| 1998 | 92.31 million cubic meters | +1.7% |
| 1999 | 93.85 million cubic meters | +1.7% |
| 2000 | 95.38 million cubic meters | +1.6% |
| 2001 | 96.92 million cubic meters | +1.6% |
| 2002 | 98.46 million cubic meters | +1.6% |
| 2003 | 100.00 million cubic meters | +1.6% |
| 2004 | 103.57 million cubic meters | +3.6% |
| 2005 | 107.14 million cubic meters | +3.4% |
| 2006 | 110.71 million cubic meters | +3.3% |
| 2007 | 114.29 million cubic meters | +3.2% |
| 2008 | 117.86 million cubic meters | +3.1% |
| 2009 | 121.43 million cubic meters | +3.0% |
| 2010 | 125.00 million cubic meters | +2.9% |
| 2011 | 125.02 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 125.03 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 125.05 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 125.06 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 125.08 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 303.00 million cubic meters | +142.2% |
| 2017 | 260.08 million cubic meters | -14.2% |
| 2018 | 217.16 million cubic meters | -16.5% |
| 2019 | 174.24 million cubic meters | -19.8% |
| 2020 | 131.32 million cubic meters | -24.6% |
| 2021 | 88.40 million cubic meters | -32.7% |
| 2022 | 115.36 million cubic meters | +30.5% |
| 2023 | 115.36 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 115.36 million cubic meters is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 80.80 million cubic meters, 1.4× the median. (44 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 115.36 million cubic meters is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 27.50 million cubic meters, 4.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Industrial water withdrawal in Kenya changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | +142.2% | 125.08 million cubic meters | 303.00 million cubic meters |
| 2021 | -32.7% | 131.32 million cubic meters | 88.40 million cubic meters |
| 2022 | +30.5% | 88.40 million cubic meters | 115.36 million cubic meters |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 86.92 million cubic meters | 80.00 million cubic meters | 93.85 million cubic meters | 10 |
| 2000s | 106.58 million cubic meters | 95.38 million cubic meters | 121.43 million cubic meters | 10 |
| 2010s | 170.47 million cubic meters | 125.00 million cubic meters | 303.00 million cubic meters | 10 |
| 2020s | 112.61 million cubic meters | 88.40 million cubic meters | 131.32 million cubic meters | 4 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
- 96 Democratic Republic of Congo 146.80 million cubic meters compare
- 97 Suriname 135.50 million cubic meters compare
- 98 Trinidad and Tobago 128.90 million cubic meters compare
- 100 Honduras 114.00 million cubic meters compare
- 101 Israel 104.83 million cubic meters compare
- 102 Cameroon 104.60 million cubic meters compare
More environment data for Kenya
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -8.08 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -4.73 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.27 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.12 °C (2025)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.39 % 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 Kenya?
- Industrial water withdrawal in Kenya was 115.36 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 Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 303.00 million cubic meters in 2016.
- What is the lowest industrial water withdrawal recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 80.00 million cubic meters in 1990.
- How does Kenya rank for industrial water withdrawal?
- Kenya ranks 99th out of 180 countries with data for 2023.
- Is industrial water withdrawal rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Kenya 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 — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Water withdrawn each year by self-supplied industries.