Industrial water withdrawal in South Africa
South Africa: Industrial water withdrawal was 4.73 billion cubic meters in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Industrial water withdrawal in South Africa, 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 South Africa stood at 4.73 billion cubic meters. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.
The figure is up 2.5% on the previous year and up 191.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, industrial water withdrawal in South Africa peaked at 4.73 billion cubic meters in 2023 and was at its lowest, 1.05 billion cubic meters, in 2000.
South Africa ranks 19th 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 South Africa, year by year
| Year | cubic meters | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 1.45 billion cubic meters | — |
| 1991 | 1.38 billion cubic meters | -4.8% |
| 1992 | 1.31 billion cubic meters | -5.0% |
| 1993 | 1.24 billion cubic meters | -5.3% |
| 1994 | 1.17 billion cubic meters | -5.6% |
| 1995 | 1.10 billion cubic meters | -5.9% |
| 1996 | 1.09 billion cubic meters | -0.9% |
| 1997 | 1.08 billion cubic meters | -0.9% |
| 1998 | 1.07 billion cubic meters | -0.9% |
| 1999 | 1.06 billion cubic meters | -0.9% |
| 2000 | 1.05 billion cubic meters | -0.9% |
| 2001 | 1.10 billion cubic meters | +4.2% |
| 2002 | 1.14 billion cubic meters | +4.0% |
| 2003 | 1.18 billion cubic meters | +3.9% |
| 2004 | 1.23 billion cubic meters | +3.7% |
| 2005 | 1.27 billion cubic meters | +3.6% |
| 2006 | 1.32 billion cubic meters | +3.5% |
| 2007 | 1.36 billion cubic meters | +3.3% |
| 2008 | 1.40 billion cubic meters | +3.2% |
| 2009 | 1.45 billion cubic meters | +3.1% |
| 2010 | 1.49 billion cubic meters | +3.0% |
| 2011 | 1.54 billion cubic meters | +3.0% |
| 2012 | 1.58 billion cubic meters | +2.9% |
| 2013 | 1.62 billion cubic meters | +2.8% |
| 2014 | 2.61 billion cubic meters | +60.5% |
| 2015 | 3.59 billion cubic meters | +37.7% |
| 2016 | 3.94 billion cubic meters | +9.7% |
| 2017 | 4.10 billion cubic meters | +4.1% |
| 2018 | 4.07 billion cubic meters | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 4.25 billion cubic meters | +4.4% |
| 2020 | 4.09 billion cubic meters | -3.8% |
| 2021 | 4.08 billion cubic meters | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 4.62 billion cubic meters | +13.1% |
| 2023 | 4.73 billion cubic meters | +2.5% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 4.73 billion cubic meters is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 448.00 million cubic meters, 10.6× the median. (53 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 4.73 billion cubic meters is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 27.50 million cubic meters, 172.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Industrial water withdrawal in South Africa 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | +60.5% | 1.62 billion cubic meters | 2.61 billion cubic meters |
| 2015 | +37.7% | 2.61 billion cubic meters | 3.59 billion cubic meters |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.20 billion cubic meters | 1.06 billion cubic meters | 1.45 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.25 billion cubic meters | 1.05 billion cubic meters | 1.45 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.88 billion cubic meters | 1.49 billion cubic meters | 4.25 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.38 billion cubic meters | 4.08 billion cubic meters | 4.73 billion cubic meters | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More environment data for South Africa
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 5.46 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 8.52 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.275 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.05 °C (2025)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.4366 % 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) 1.85 % 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 South Africa?
- Industrial water withdrawal in South Africa was 4.73 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 South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 4.73 billion cubic meters in 2023.
- What is the lowest industrial water withdrawal recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.05 billion cubic meters in 2000.
- How does South Africa rank for industrial water withdrawal?
- South Africa ranks 19th out of 180 countries with data for 2023.
- Is industrial water withdrawal rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 191.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Africa 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.