Industrial water withdrawal in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Industrial water withdrawal was 1.40 billion cubic meters in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Industrial water withdrawal in Saudi Arabia, 1992–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – AQUASTAT (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in cubic meters.
Analysis
Saudi Arabia recorded 1.40 billion cubic meters for industrial water withdrawal in 2023. That is the highest value across all 32 years on record.
That represents a change of up 57.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, industrial water withdrawal in Saudi Arabia peaked at 1.40 billion cubic meters in 2018 and was at its lowest, 193.00 million cubic meters, in 1992.
Saudi Arabia ranks 41st of 180 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Industrial water withdrawal in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | cubic meters | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 193.00 million cubic meters | — |
| 1993 | 205.09 million cubic meters | +6.3% |
| 1994 | 217.18 million cubic meters | +5.9% |
| 1995 | 229.26 million cubic meters | +5.6% |
| 1996 | 241.35 million cubic meters | +5.3% |
| 1997 | 253.44 million cubic meters | +5.0% |
| 1998 | 265.52 million cubic meters | +4.8% |
| 1999 | 277.61 million cubic meters | +4.6% |
| 2000 | 289.70 million cubic meters | +4.4% |
| 2001 | 369.27 million cubic meters | +27.5% |
| 2002 | 448.85 million cubic meters | +21.5% |
| 2003 | 528.42 million cubic meters | +17.7% |
| 2004 | 608.00 million cubic meters | +15.1% |
| 2005 | 659.00 million cubic meters | +8.4% |
| 2006 | 710.00 million cubic meters | +7.7% |
| 2007 | 732.17 million cubic meters | +3.1% |
| 2008 | 754.33 million cubic meters | +3.0% |
| 2009 | 776.50 million cubic meters | +2.9% |
| 2010 | 798.67 million cubic meters | +2.9% |
| 2011 | 820.83 million cubic meters | +2.8% |
| 2012 | 843.00 million cubic meters | +2.7% |
| 2013 | 890.00 million cubic meters | +5.6% |
| 2014 | 930.00 million cubic meters | +4.5% |
| 2015 | 977.00 million cubic meters | +5.1% |
| 2016 | 1.01 billion cubic meters | +3.9% |
| 2017 | 1.00 billion cubic meters | -1.5% |
| 2018 | 1.40 billion cubic meters | +40.0% |
| 2019 | 1.40 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 1.40 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 1.40 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 1.40 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 1.40 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's 1.40 billion cubic meters is above the median for high income countries, which is 668.45 million cubic meters, 2.1× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's 1.40 billion cubic meters is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 169.50 million cubic meters, 8.3× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Industrial water withdrawal in Saudi Arabia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | +40.0% | 1.00 billion cubic meters | 1.40 billion cubic meters |
| 2001 | +27.5% | 289.70 million cubic meters | 369.27 million cubic meters |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 235.31 million cubic meters | 193.00 million cubic meters | 277.61 million cubic meters | 8 |
| 2000s | 587.62 million cubic meters | 289.70 million cubic meters | 776.50 million cubic meters | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.01 billion cubic meters | 798.67 million cubic meters | 1.40 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.40 billion cubic meters | 1.40 billion cubic meters | 1.40 billion cubic meters | 4 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
More environment data for Saudi Arabia
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -52.52 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -27.86 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.424 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.58 °C (2025)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -0.5766 % 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) 5.3 % 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 Saudi Arabia?
- Industrial water withdrawal in Saudi Arabia was 1.40 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 Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 1.40 billion cubic meters in 2018.
- What is the lowest industrial water withdrawal recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 193.00 million cubic meters in 1992.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for industrial water withdrawal?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 41st out of 180 countries with data for 2023.
- Is industrial water withdrawal rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 57.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia 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 — 32 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Water withdrawn each year by self-supplied industries.