Industrial water withdrawal in Malawi
Malawi: Industrial water withdrawal was 47.70 million cubic meters in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
47.70 million cubic meters
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
117th
of 180 countries
All-time high
47.70 million cubic meters
in 2005
All-time low
27.00 million cubic meters
in 1985
Years of data
39
1985–2023
Industrial water withdrawal in Malawi, 1985–2023
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 Malawi stood at 47.70 million cubic meters. That is the highest value across all 39 years on record.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, industrial water withdrawal in Malawi peaked at 47.70 million cubic meters in 2005 and was at its lowest, 27.00 million cubic meters, in 1985.
That places Malawi 117th 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 39 years of available data.
Industrial water withdrawal in Malawi, year by year
| Year | cubic meters | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 27.00 million cubic meters | — |
| 1986 | 27.56 million cubic meters | +2.1% |
| 1987 | 28.12 million cubic meters | +2.0% |
| 1988 | 28.68 million cubic meters | +2.0% |
| 1989 | 29.24 million cubic meters | +2.0% |
| 1990 | 29.80 million cubic meters | +1.9% |
| 1991 | 30.35 million cubic meters | +1.8% |
| 1992 | 30.90 million cubic meters | +1.8% |
| 1993 | 31.45 million cubic meters | +1.8% |
| 1994 | 32.00 million cubic meters | +1.7% |
| 1995 | 33.32 million cubic meters | +4.1% |
| 1996 | 34.63 million cubic meters | +4.0% |
| 1997 | 35.95 million cubic meters | +3.8% |
| 1998 | 37.27 million cubic meters | +3.7% |
| 1999 | 38.58 million cubic meters | +3.5% |
| 2000 | 39.90 million cubic meters | +3.4% |
| 2001 | 41.46 million cubic meters | +3.9% |
| 2002 | 43.02 million cubic meters | +3.8% |
| 2003 | 44.58 million cubic meters | +3.6% |
| 2004 | 46.14 million cubic meters | +3.5% |
| 2005 | 47.70 million cubic meters | +3.4% |
| 2006 | 47.70 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 47.70 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 47.70 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 47.70 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 47.70 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 47.70 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 47.70 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 47.70 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 47.70 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 47.70 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 47.70 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 47.70 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 47.70 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 47.70 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 47.70 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 47.70 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 47.70 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 47.70 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 47.70 million cubic meters is below the median for low income countries, which is 50.00 million cubic meters, 95% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 47.70 million cubic meters is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 27.50 million cubic meters, 1.7× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 28.12 million cubic meters | 27.00 million cubic meters | 29.24 million cubic meters | 5 |
| 1990s | 33.42 million cubic meters | 29.80 million cubic meters | 38.58 million cubic meters | 10 |
| 2000s | 45.36 million cubic meters | 39.90 million cubic meters | 47.70 million cubic meters | 10 |
| 2010s | 47.70 million cubic meters | 47.70 million cubic meters | 47.70 million cubic meters | 10 |
| 2020s | 47.70 million cubic meters | 47.70 million cubic meters | 47.70 million cubic meters | 4 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
More environment data for Malawi
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -0.9153 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -0.8098 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.254 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.07 °C (2025)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 3.43 % 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 Malawi?
- Industrial water withdrawal in Malawi was 47.70 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 Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 47.70 million cubic meters in 2005.
- What is the lowest industrial water withdrawal recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 27.00 million cubic meters in 1985.
- How does Malawi rank for industrial water withdrawal?
- Malawi ranks 117th out of 180 countries with data for 2023.
- Is industrial water withdrawal rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malawi 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 — 39 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Water withdrawn each year by self-supplied industries.