Industrial water withdrawal in North Korea
North Korea: Industrial water withdrawal was 1.15 billion cubic meters in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
1.15 billion cubic meters
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
48th
of 180 countries
All-time high
2.27 billion cubic meters
in 1987
All-time low
1.09 billion cubic meters
in 2000
Years of data
37
1987–2023
Industrial water withdrawal in North Korea, 1987–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – AQUASTAT (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in cubic meters.
Analysis
The most recent figure for industrial water withdrawal in North Korea is 1.15 billion cubic meters, measured in 2023.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, industrial water withdrawal in North Korea peaked at 2.27 billion cubic meters in 1987 and was at its lowest, 1.09 billion cubic meters, in 2000.
North Korea ranks 48th of 180 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 37 years of available data.
Industrial water withdrawal in North Korea, year by year
| Year | cubic meters | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 2.27 billion cubic meters | — |
| 1988 | 2.18 billion cubic meters | -4.0% |
| 1989 | 2.09 billion cubic meters | -4.2% |
| 1990 | 2.00 billion cubic meters | -4.4% |
| 1991 | 1.91 billion cubic meters | -4.6% |
| 1992 | 1.82 billion cubic meters | -4.8% |
| 1993 | 1.72 billion cubic meters | -5.0% |
| 1994 | 1.63 billion cubic meters | -5.3% |
| 1995 | 1.54 billion cubic meters | -5.6% |
| 1996 | 1.45 billion cubic meters | -5.9% |
| 1997 | 1.36 billion cubic meters | -6.3% |
| 1998 | 1.27 billion cubic meters | -6.7% |
| 1999 | 1.18 billion cubic meters | -7.2% |
| 2000 | 1.09 billion cubic meters | -7.7% |
| 2001 | 1.10 billion cubic meters | +1.0% |
| 2002 | 1.11 billion cubic meters | +1.0% |
| 2003 | 1.12 billion cubic meters | +1.0% |
| 2004 | 1.13 billion cubic meters | +1.0% |
| 2005 | 1.15 billion cubic meters | +1.0% |
| 2006 | 1.15 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 1.15 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 1.15 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 1.15 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 1.15 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 1.15 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 1.15 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 1.15 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 1.15 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 1.15 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 1.15 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 1.15 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 1.15 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 1.15 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 1.15 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 1.15 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 1.15 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 1.15 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
North Korea compared with similar countries
- North Korea's 1.15 billion cubic meters is above the median for low income countries, which is 50.00 million cubic meters, 22.9× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- North Korea's 1.15 billion cubic meters is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1.18 billion cubic meters, 97% of the median. (19 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 2.18 billion cubic meters | 2.09 billion cubic meters | 2.27 billion cubic meters | 3 |
| 1990s | 1.59 billion cubic meters | 1.18 billion cubic meters | 2.00 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.13 billion cubic meters | 1.09 billion cubic meters | 1.15 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.15 billion cubic meters | 1.15 billion cubic meters | 1.15 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.15 billion cubic meters | 1.15 billion cubic meters | 1.15 billion cubic meters | 4 |
Countries ranked near North Korea
- 45 Sweden 1.27 billion cubic meters compare
- 46 Uzbekistan 1.20 billion cubic meters compare
- 47 New Zealand 1.18 billion cubic meters compare
- 49 Iran 1.10 billion cubic meters compare
- 50 Norway 1.07 billion cubic meters compare
- 51 United Kingdom 1.01 billion cubic meters compare
More environment data for North Korea
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 2.89 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 3.16 Percentage change (2025)
- Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from Industrial Processes (Mt CO2e) 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from Waste (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from Transport (Energy) (Mt CO2e), per 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from Transport (Energy) (Mt CO2e) 1.99 % change on previous year (2024)
- Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) (Mt CO2e) 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) (Mt CO2e) 0.7968 % change on previous year (2024)
- Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) (Mt) 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is industrial water withdrawal in North Korea?
- Industrial water withdrawal in North Korea was 1.15 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 North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 2.27 billion cubic meters in 1987.
- What is the lowest industrial water withdrawal recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.09 billion cubic meters in 2000.
- How does North Korea rank for industrial water withdrawal?
- North Korea ranks 48th out of 180 countries with data for 2023.
- Is industrial water withdrawal rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this North Korea 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 — 37 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Water withdrawn each year by self-supplied industries.