Industrial water withdrawal in Spain
Spain: Industrial water withdrawal was 5.50 billion cubic meters in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
5.50 billion cubic meters
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
16th
of 180 countries
All-time high
11.92 billion cubic meters
in 1986
All-time low
5.50 billion cubic meters
in 2020
Years of data
39
1985–2023
Industrial water withdrawal in Spain, 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 Spain stood at 5.50 billion cubic meters. That is the lowest value across all 39 years on record.
The figure is down 14.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, industrial water withdrawal in Spain peaked at 11.92 billion cubic meters in 1986 and was at its lowest, 5.50 billion cubic meters, in 2020.
Spain ranks 16th of 180 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 39 years of available data.
Industrial water withdrawal in Spain, year by year
| Year | cubic meters | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 11.92 billion cubic meters | — |
| 1986 | 11.92 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 10.82 billion cubic meters | -9.3% |
| 1988 | 9.71 billion cubic meters | -10.2% |
| 1989 | 8.61 billion cubic meters | -11.4% |
| 1990 | 7.50 billion cubic meters | -12.8% |
| 1991 | 6.40 billion cubic meters | -14.7% |
| 1992 | 6.45 billion cubic meters | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 6.49 billion cubic meters | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 6.54 billion cubic meters | +0.7% |
| 1995 | 6.59 billion cubic meters | +0.7% |
| 1996 | 6.63 billion cubic meters | +0.7% |
| 1997 | 6.68 billion cubic meters | +0.7% |
| 1998 | 6.87 billion cubic meters | +2.8% |
| 1999 | 7.05 billion cubic meters | +2.7% |
| 2000 | 7.24 billion cubic meters | +2.6% |
| 2001 | 7.34 billion cubic meters | +1.5% |
| 2002 | 7.45 billion cubic meters | +1.4% |
| 2003 | 7.48 billion cubic meters | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 7.51 billion cubic meters | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 7.55 billion cubic meters | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 7.02 billion cubic meters | -7.0% |
| 2007 | 6.50 billion cubic meters | -7.5% |
| 2008 | 6.73 billion cubic meters | +3.7% |
| 2009 | 6.77 billion cubic meters | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 6.81 billion cubic meters | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 6.69 billion cubic meters | -1.8% |
| 2012 | 6.57 billion cubic meters | -1.8% |
| 2013 | 6.46 billion cubic meters | -1.8% |
| 2014 | 6.34 billion cubic meters | -1.8% |
| 2015 | 6.06 billion cubic meters | -4.4% |
| 2016 | 5.97 billion cubic meters | -1.5% |
| 2017 | 5.59 billion cubic meters | -6.3% |
| 2018 | 5.72 billion cubic meters | +2.3% |
| 2019 | 5.61 billion cubic meters | -1.9% |
| 2020 | 5.50 billion cubic meters | -1.9% |
| 2021 | 5.50 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 5.50 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 5.50 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
Spain compared with similar countries
- Spain's 5.50 billion cubic meters is above the median for high income countries, which is 668.45 million cubic meters, 8.2× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Spain's 5.50 billion cubic meters is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 806.76 million cubic meters, 6.8× the median. (49 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 10.60 billion cubic meters | 8.61 billion cubic meters | 11.92 billion cubic meters | 5 |
| 1990s | 6.72 billion cubic meters | 6.40 billion cubic meters | 7.50 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.16 billion cubic meters | 6.50 billion cubic meters | 7.55 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.18 billion cubic meters | 5.59 billion cubic meters | 6.81 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.50 billion cubic meters | 5.50 billion cubic meters | 5.50 billion cubic meters | 4 |
Countries ranked near Spain
- 13 Italy 7.70 billion cubic meters compare
- 14 Poland 6.44 billion cubic meters compare
- 15 Kazakhstan 6.10 billion cubic meters compare
- 17 Egypt 5.40 billion cubic meters compare
- 18 Netherlands 5.05 billion cubic meters compare
- 19 South Africa 4.73 billion cubic meters compare
More environment data for Spain
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -1.67 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -1.4 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.402 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.3 °C (2025)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -0.6825 % 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) -7.8 % 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 Spain?
- Industrial water withdrawal in Spain was 5.50 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 Spain?
- The highest recorded value was 11.92 billion cubic meters in 1986.
- What is the lowest industrial water withdrawal recorded in Spain?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.50 billion cubic meters in 2020.
- How does Spain rank for industrial water withdrawal?
- Spain ranks 16th out of 180 countries with data for 2023.
- Is industrial water withdrawal rising or falling in Spain?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Spain 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.