Industrial water withdrawal in Zambia
Zambia: Industrial water withdrawal was 280.00 million cubic meters in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
280.00 million cubic meters
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
77th
of 180 countries
All-time high
280.00 million cubic meters
in 2021
All-time low
107.00 million cubic meters
in 1992
Years of data
32
1992–2023
Industrial water withdrawal in Zambia, 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
In 2023, industrial water withdrawal in Zambia stood at 280.00 million cubic meters. That is the highest value across all 32 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 25.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, industrial water withdrawal in Zambia peaked at 280.00 million cubic meters in 2021 and was at its lowest, 107.00 million cubic meters, in 1992.
That places Zambia 77th 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 32 years of available data.
Industrial water withdrawal in Zambia, year by year
| Year | cubic meters | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 107.00 million cubic meters | — |
| 1993 | 112.50 million cubic meters | +5.1% |
| 1994 | 118.00 million cubic meters | +4.9% |
| 1995 | 120.00 million cubic meters | +1.7% |
| 1996 | 122.00 million cubic meters | +1.7% |
| 1997 | 124.00 million cubic meters | +1.6% |
| 1998 | 126.00 million cubic meters | +1.6% |
| 1999 | 128.00 million cubic meters | +1.6% |
| 2000 | 130.00 million cubic meters | +1.6% |
| 2001 | 137.14 million cubic meters | +5.5% |
| 2002 | 144.29 million cubic meters | +5.2% |
| 2003 | 151.43 million cubic meters | +5.0% |
| 2004 | 158.57 million cubic meters | +4.7% |
| 2005 | 165.71 million cubic meters | +4.5% |
| 2006 | 172.86 million cubic meters | +4.3% |
| 2007 | 180.00 million cubic meters | +4.1% |
| 2008 | 187.14 million cubic meters | +4.0% |
| 2009 | 194.29 million cubic meters | +3.8% |
| 2010 | 201.43 million cubic meters | +3.7% |
| 2011 | 208.57 million cubic meters | +3.5% |
| 2012 | 215.71 million cubic meters | +3.4% |
| 2013 | 222.86 million cubic meters | +3.3% |
| 2014 | 230.00 million cubic meters | +3.2% |
| 2015 | 237.14 million cubic meters | +3.1% |
| 2016 | 244.29 million cubic meters | +3.0% |
| 2017 | 251.43 million cubic meters | +2.9% |
| 2018 | 258.57 million cubic meters | +2.8% |
| 2019 | 265.71 million cubic meters | +2.8% |
| 2020 | 272.86 million cubic meters | +2.7% |
| 2021 | 280.00 million cubic meters | +2.6% |
| 2022 | 280.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 280.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 280.00 million cubic meters is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 80.80 million cubic meters, 3.5× the median. (44 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 280.00 million cubic meters is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 27.50 million cubic meters, 10.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 119.69 million cubic meters | 107.00 million cubic meters | 128.00 million cubic meters | 8 |
| 2000s | 162.14 million cubic meters | 130.00 million cubic meters | 194.29 million cubic meters | 10 |
| 2010s | 233.57 million cubic meters | 201.43 million cubic meters | 265.71 million cubic meters | 10 |
| 2020s | 278.21 million cubic meters | 272.86 million cubic meters | 280.00 million cubic meters | 4 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 74 Georgia 354.46 million cubic meters compare
- 75 Kyrgyzstan 336.00 million cubic meters compare
- 76 Greece 281.89 million cubic meters compare
- 77 Libya 280.00 million cubic meters compare
- 79 Costa Rica 245.34 million cubic meters compare
- 80 Cote d'Ivoire 242.00 million cubic meters compare
More environment data for Zambia
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -2.98 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -3.03 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.265 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.11 °C (2025)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 1.39 % 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) 0 % 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 Zambia?
- Industrial water withdrawal in Zambia was 280.00 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 Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 280.00 million cubic meters in 2021.
- What is the lowest industrial water withdrawal recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 107.00 million cubic meters in 1992.
- How does Zambia rank for industrial water withdrawal?
- Zambia ranks 77th out of 180 countries with data for 2023.
- Is industrial water withdrawal rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 25.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zambia 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.