Inland waters — Area by country

The FAOSTAT Land Use domain contains data on twenty-one land use categories and twenty-three categories of irrigation and agricultural practices. Data are available yearly and by country, regional and global levels. The domain includes Land Use Indicators providing information on the percentage share of...

Countries reporting
175
Highest
204,515 1000 ha
OECD
Lowest
0 1000 ha
New Caledonia
Median
269 1000 ha
Years covered
64
1961–2024
Data points
12,035

What the numbers show

Inland waters — Area is currently reported for 175 countries. The highest value is 204,515 1000 ha in OECD; the lowest is 0 1000 ha in New Caledonia.

The median across all reporting countries is 269 1000 ha, and the mean is 3,807 1000 ha.

Over the past decade 53 countries rose and 38 fell. The largest increase was in Dominican Republic (up 86.6%), and the largest decrease in New Caledonia (down 100.0%).

Inland waters — Area: full country ranking

#Country LatestYear 10-year changeTrend
1 OECD 204,515 1000 ha 2024 up 8.2% rising
2 Canada 108,496 1000 ha 2024 up 18.7% rising
3 Russian Federation 72,138 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
4 USSR 48,903 1000 ha 1991 unchanged flat
5 India 31,407 1000 ha 2024 up 0.0% flat
6 China 17,531 1000 ha 2024 up 0.0% flat
7 China, mainland 17,470 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
8 Brazil 15,763 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
9 Iran (Islamic Republic of) 12,265 1000 ha 2024 up 5.4% flat
10 Ethiopia PDR 12,090 1000 ha 1992 unchanged flat
11 Democratic Republic of the Congo 7,781 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
12 United Republic of Tanzania 6,150 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
13 Australia and New Zealand 5,360 1000 ha 2024 down 15.4% falling
14 Australia 4,920 1000 ha 2024 down 16.5% falling
15 Uganda 4,730 1000 ha 2024 up 15.3% rising
16 Argentina 4,371 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
17 Sweden 4,016 1000 ha 2024 up 0.2% flat
18 Indonesia 3,939 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
19 Finland 3,450 1000 ha 2024 down 0.1% flat
20 Colombia 3,112 1000 ha 2024 down 3.5% flat
21 Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) 3,000 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
22 Pakistan 2,522 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
23 Kazakhstan 2,520 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
24 Chad 2,480 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
25 Malawi 2,420 1000 ha 2024 up 0.0% flat
26 Ukraine 2,415 1000 ha 2024 down 0.5% flat
27 Myanmar 2,392 1000 ha 2024 up 1.7% flat
28 Norway 2,023 1000 ha 2024 up 0.6% flat
29 Mali 2,000 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
30 Viet Nam 1,791 1000 ha 2024 up 0.3% volatile
31 Bangladesh 1,759 1000 ha 2024 up 0.7% flat
32 Türkiye 1,572 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
33 Liberia 1,505 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
34 Botswana 1,500 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
35 Chile 1,452 1000 ha 2024 up 0.8% rising
36 Japan 1,340 1000 ha 2024 unchanged rising
37 Mexico 1,324 1000 ha 2024 down 35.2% falling
38 Mozambique 1,300 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
39 Nigeria 1,300 1000 ha 2024 down 0.0% flat
40 Sudan (former) 1,198 1000 ha 2011 unchanged flat
41 Caribbean 1,105 1000 ha 2024 up 4.7% rising
42 Ghana 1,100 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
43 Paraguay 1,074 1000 ha 2024 up 13.6% flat
44 Bolivia (Plurinational State of) 1,062 1000 ha 2024 down 30.5% falling
45 Melanesia 1,044 1000 ha 2024 down 7.2% flat
46 Uzbekistan 1,041 1000 ha 2024 up 25.2% volatile
47 Somalia 1,032 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
48 France 1,024 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
49 Kenya 1,012 1000 ha 2024 down 9.9% flat
50 Nicaragua 1,003 1000 ha 2022 unchanged flat
51 Gabon 1,000 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
51 Sudan 1,000 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
53 Papua New Guinea 998 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
54 Zambia 922 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
55 Turkmenistan 877.7 1000 ha 2024 down 51.7% falling
56 Romania 832 1000 ha 2024 up 0.1% rising
57 Tunisia 825 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
58 Kyrgyzstan 815 1000 ha 2024 up 0.0% flat
59 Ecuador 801 1000 ha 2024 unchanged rising
60 Guinea-Bissau 800.5 1000 ha 2024 down 0.1% flat
61 Germany 792 1000 ha 2024 down 6.6% rising
62 Poland 787 1000 ha 2024 up 21.3% rising
63 Ethiopia 768.4 1000 ha 2024 up 10.6% volatile
64 Italy 635 1000 ha 2024 down 0.0% falling
65 Spain 629.57 1000 ha 2024 up 9.9% flat
66 Cuba 608.4 1000 ha 2024 up 3.8% rising
67 Egypt 600 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
67 Lao People's Democratic Republic 600 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
69 Mongolia 561.49 1000 ha 2024 down 18.2% falling
70 Madagascar 549.5 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
71 Peru 521.56 1000 ha 2024 down 0.1% flat
72 Belarus 465.3 1000 ha 2024 up 0.6% flat
73 Cambodia 451.5 1000 ha 2024 down 0.1% flat
74 Côte d'Ivoire 446 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
75 New Zealand 440 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
76 Senegal 418 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
77 Azerbaijan 395 1000 ha 2024 up 0.3% rising
78 Zimbabwe 391 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
79 Bahamas 386.8 1000 ha 2024 down 0.1% flat
80 Nepal 383.1 1000 ha 2024 up 0.0% falling
81 Guyana 383 1000 ha 2024 down 78.9% falling
82 Sri Lanka 375 1000 ha 2024 up 29.3% rising
83 Netherlands (Kingdom of the) 372 1000 ha 2024 up 1.6% flat
84 Suriname 331.24 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
85 Greece 306 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
86 Republic of Korea 286 1000 ha 2024 up 2.1% flat
87 Cameroon 273.2 1000 ha 2024 up 0.1% flat
88 Lithuania 269 1000 ha 2024 up 2.0% flat
89 Estonia 261 1000 ha 2024 up 39.6% falling
90 Tajikistan 259 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
91 Czechoslovakia 254 1000 ha 1992 up 5.8% rising
92 Denmark 252 1000 ha 2024 down 13.7% flat
93 Bulgaria 244 1000 ha 2024 unchanged volatile
94 Togo 240 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
95 Latvia 237 1000 ha 2024 up 0.1% flat
96 Malaysia 225 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
97 Thailand 223 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
98 Iceland 217 1000 ha 2024 down 21.1% falling
99 Burundi 215 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
100 Benin 200 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
101 South Sudan 198 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
102 Philippines 183 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
103 Switzerland 178.11 1000 ha 2024 up 0.1% flat
104 Hungary 177 1000 ha 2024 unchanged falling
105 Guatemala 172.9 1000 ha 2024 down 0.1% flat
106 Czechia 171.59 1000 ha 2024 up 4.0% rising
107 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 168 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
108 Rwanda 166.8 1000 ha 2024 down 0.1% flat
109 Syrian Arab Republic 155 1000 ha 2024 unchanged rising
110 Armenia 154.06 1000 ha 2024 up 21.3% rising
111 Ireland 139 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
112 Austria 135.9 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
113 Portugal 135 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
114 Yugoslav SFR 121 1000 ha 1991 unchanged flat
115 Uruguay 119.9 1000 ha 2024 down 0.1% flat
116 Gambia 117.5 1000 ha 2024 down 0.4% flat
117 Panama 114 1000 ha 2024 up 5.6% flat
118 Namibia 100.2 1000 ha 2024 up 0.2% flat
119 Slovakia 95 1000 ha 2024 up 0.1% flat
120 Republic of Moldova 94.3 1000 ha 2024 down 2.8% rising
121 Iraq 92 1000 ha 2024 down 0.4% flat
122 Serbia 90.13 1000 ha 2024 up 0.1% flat
123 Eritrea 83 1000 ha 2024 up 1.2% volatile
124 French Guiana 79.05 1000 ha 2024 up 0.1% rising
125 Dominican Republic 67.18 1000 ha 2024 up 86.6% rising
126 Afghanistan 64 1000 ha 2024 up 1.6% flat
127 Croatia 63 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
128 Burkina Faso 60 1000 ha 2024 down 3.2% flat
128 Honduras 60 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
130 China, Taiwan Province of 55 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
131 Jordan 52 1000 ha 2024 down 3.7% flat
132 Congo 50 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
132 Brunei Darussalam 50 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
134 North Macedonia 49.3 1000 ha 2024 up 0.6% rising
135 Solomon Islands 45.6 1000 ha 2024 down 49.9% flat
136 Montenegro 43.3 1000 ha 2024 up 20.3% rising
137 Israel 43 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
138 Albania 33 1000 ha 2024 down 75.6% falling
139 El Salvador 32 1000 ha 2024 unchanged rising
140 Niger 30 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
140 Belgium-Luxembourg 30 1000 ha 1999 unchanged flat
142 Morocco 25 1000 ha 2024 unchanged rising
143 Bhutan 23 1000 ha 2024 down 17.0% falling
144 Lebanon 22.2 1000 ha 2024 up 0.9% flat
145 Georgia 21 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
146 Haiti 19 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
147 United Arab Emirates 18.21 1000 ha 2024 unchanged falling
148 Serbia and Montenegro 17 1000 ha 2005 unchanged flat
149 Jamaica 16 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
149 Eswatini 16 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
151 Belize 15.6 1000 ha 2024 down 2.5% flat
152 Belgium 15.41 1000 ha 2024 up 0.0% falling
153 Slovenia 13.82 1000 ha 2024 up 8.1% flat
154 Guinea 13.7 1000 ha 2024 down 2.1% flat
155 Democratic People's Republic of Korea 13 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
156 Sierra Leone 12 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
157 China, Hong Kong SAR 6 1000 ha 2024 up 9.1% flat
158 Costa Rica 4 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
159 Polynesia 3.9 1000 ha 2024 down 2.5% flat
160 Faroe Islands 3 1000 ha 2024 flat
161 Tonga 2.9 1000 ha 2024 down 3.3% flat
162 Martinique 2.74 1000 ha 2024 down 60.9% falling
163 Cayman Islands 2.4 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
164 Djibouti 2 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
165 Luxembourg 1.55 1000 ha 2024 up 0.3% flat
166 Guadeloupe 1.35 1000 ha 2024 up 35.0% rising
167 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 1.2 1000 ha 2024 up 20.0% flat
168 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
168 Cyprus 1 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
168 Saint Lucia 1 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
168 Mauritius 1 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
168 Singapore 1 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
168 Samoa 1 1000 ha 2024 unchanged flat
174 Bermuda 0 1000 ha 2024 flat
174 New Caledonia 0 1000 ha 2024 down 100.0% flat

Regions and income groups

Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.

About this data

Indicator
Inland waters — Area
Unit
1000 ha
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
209 places, 12,035 data points, 1961–2024
Last refreshed

The FAOSTAT Land Use domain contains data on twenty-one land use categories and twenty-three categories of irrigation and agricultural practices. Data are available yearly and by country, regional and global levels. The domain includes Land Use Indicators providing information on the percentage share of agricultural and forest land, and their sub-components, including irrigated areas and areas under organic agriculture, within a country land use matrix. Data are available at country, regional and global level, for the following elements: (in percentage) i) Share in Land area; ii) Share in Agricultural land, iii) Share in Cropland; and iv) Share in Forest land; (in ha/pc) v) Area per capita.