Industrial water withdrawal in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Industrial water withdrawal was 831.00 million cubic meters in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
831.00 million cubic meters
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
53rd
of 180 countries
All-time high
831.00 million cubic meters
in 2005
All-time low
195.00 million cubic meters
in 1990
Years of data
34
1990–2023
Industrial water withdrawal in Sri Lanka, 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
The most recent figure for industrial water withdrawal in Sri Lanka is 831.00 million cubic meters, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, industrial water withdrawal in Sri Lanka peaked at 831.00 million cubic meters in 2005 and was at its lowest, 195.00 million cubic meters, in 1990.
Sri Lanka ranks 53rd of 180 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Industrial water withdrawal in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | cubic meters | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 195.00 million cubic meters | — |
| 1991 | 226.86 million cubic meters | +16.3% |
| 1992 | 258.72 million cubic meters | +14.0% |
| 1993 | 290.58 million cubic meters | +12.3% |
| 1994 | 322.44 million cubic meters | +11.0% |
| 1995 | 354.30 million cubic meters | +9.9% |
| 1996 | 386.16 million cubic meters | +9.0% |
| 1997 | 418.02 million cubic meters | +8.3% |
| 1998 | 449.88 million cubic meters | +7.6% |
| 1999 | 481.74 million cubic meters | +7.1% |
| 2000 | 513.60 million cubic meters | +6.6% |
| 2001 | 577.08 million cubic meters | +12.4% |
| 2002 | 640.56 million cubic meters | +11.0% |
| 2003 | 704.04 million cubic meters | +9.9% |
| 2004 | 767.52 million cubic meters | +9.0% |
| 2005 | 831.00 million cubic meters | +8.3% |
| 2006 | 831.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 831.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 831.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 831.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 831.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 831.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 831.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 831.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 831.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 831.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 831.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 831.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 831.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 831.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 831.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 831.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 831.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 831.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 831.00 million cubic meters is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 448.00 million cubic meters, 1.9× the median. (53 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 831.00 million cubic meters is above the median for South Asia, which is 399.75 million cubic meters, 2.1× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 338.37 million cubic meters | 195.00 million cubic meters | 481.74 million cubic meters | 10 |
| 2000s | 735.78 million cubic meters | 513.60 million cubic meters | 831.00 million cubic meters | 10 |
| 2010s | 831.00 million cubic meters | 831.00 million cubic meters | 831.00 million cubic meters | 10 |
| 2020s | 831.00 million cubic meters | 831.00 million cubic meters | 831.00 million cubic meters | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 50 Norway 1.07 billion cubic meters compare
- 51 United Kingdom 1.01 billion cubic meters compare
- 52 Lebanon 900.00 million cubic meters compare
- 54 Turkmenistan 806.76 million cubic meters compare
- 55 Venezuela 793.30 million cubic meters compare
- 56 Bangladesh 770.00 million cubic meters compare
More environment data for Sri Lanka
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 5.24 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 5.49 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.207 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 0.849 °C (2025)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 1.2 % 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) 5.36 % 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 Sri Lanka?
- Industrial water withdrawal in Sri Lanka was 831.00 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 Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 831.00 million cubic meters in 2005.
- What is the lowest industrial water withdrawal recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 195.00 million cubic meters in 1990.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for industrial water withdrawal?
- Sri Lanka ranks 53rd out of 180 countries with data for 2023.
- Is industrial water withdrawal rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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.