Industrial water withdrawal in Nepal
Nepal: Industrial water withdrawal was 29.50 million cubic meters in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
29.50 million cubic meters
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
132nd
of 180 countries
All-time high
40.40 million cubic meters
in 2000
All-time low
5.00 million cubic meters
in 1993
Years of data
31
1993–2023
Industrial water withdrawal in Nepal, 1993–2023
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 Nepal stood at 29.50 million cubic meters.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, industrial water withdrawal in Nepal peaked at 40.40 million cubic meters in 2000 and was at its lowest, 5.00 million cubic meters, in 1993.
That places Nepal 132nd 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 31 years of available data.
Industrial water withdrawal in Nepal, year by year
| Year | cubic meters | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 5.00 million cubic meters | — |
| 1994 | 10.06 million cubic meters | +101.1% |
| 1995 | 15.11 million cubic meters | +50.3% |
| 1996 | 20.17 million cubic meters | +33.5% |
| 1997 | 25.23 million cubic meters | +25.1% |
| 1998 | 30.29 million cubic meters | +20.0% |
| 1999 | 35.34 million cubic meters | +16.7% |
| 2000 | 40.40 million cubic meters | +14.3% |
| 2001 | 38.22 million cubic meters | -5.4% |
| 2002 | 36.04 million cubic meters | -5.7% |
| 2003 | 33.86 million cubic meters | -6.0% |
| 2004 | 31.68 million cubic meters | -6.4% |
| 2005 | 29.50 million cubic meters | -6.9% |
| 2006 | 29.50 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 29.50 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 29.50 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 29.50 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 29.50 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 29.50 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 29.50 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 29.50 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 29.50 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 29.50 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 29.50 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 29.50 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 29.50 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 29.50 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 29.50 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 29.50 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 29.50 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 29.50 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
Nepal compared with similar countries
- Nepal's 29.50 million cubic meters is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 80.80 million cubic meters, 37% of the median. (44 countries reporting)
- Nepal's 29.50 million cubic meters is below the median for South Asia, which is 399.75 million cubic meters, 7% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 20.17 million cubic meters | 5.00 million cubic meters | 35.34 million cubic meters | 7 |
| 2000s | 32.77 million cubic meters | 29.50 million cubic meters | 40.40 million cubic meters | 10 |
| 2010s | 29.50 million cubic meters | 29.50 million cubic meters | 29.50 million cubic meters | 10 |
| 2020s | 29.50 million cubic meters | 29.50 million cubic meters | 29.50 million cubic meters | 4 |
Countries ranked near Nepal
More environment data for Nepal
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 2.73 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 2.41 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.265 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.43 °C (2025)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -4.81 % 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) -100 % change on previous year (2000)
- 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 Nepal?
- Industrial water withdrawal in Nepal was 29.50 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 Nepal?
- The highest recorded value was 40.40 million cubic meters in 2000.
- What is the lowest industrial water withdrawal recorded in Nepal?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.00 million cubic meters in 1993.
- How does Nepal rank for industrial water withdrawal?
- Nepal ranks 132nd out of 180 countries with data for 2023.
- Is industrial water withdrawal rising or falling in Nepal?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nepal 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.
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CSV · JSON — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Water withdrawn each year by self-supplied industries.