Lakes and rivers permanent water area change in Western Europe

Western Europe: Lakes and rivers permanent water area change was 13.7% in 2022. ▲ Rising

Latest (2022)
13.7%
Change on year
up 0.5%
Rank
8th
of 34 groups
All-time high
13.7%
in 2022
All-time low
4.4%
in 2005
Years of data
18
2005–2022

Lakes and rivers permanent water area change in Western Europe, 2005–2022

4681012142005201320222005: 4.42006: 4.92007: 5.72008: 5.92009: 5.32010: 5.22011: 5.62012: 5.72013: 5.72014: 7.22015: 7.92016: 122017: 12.82018: 13.42019: 13.42020: 13.22021: 13.72022: 13.7

Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.

Analysis

In 2022, lakes and rivers permanent water area change in Western Europe stood at 13.7%. That is the highest value across all 18 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 141.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, lakes and rivers permanent water area change in Western Europe peaked at 13.7% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 4.4%, in 2005.

Western Europe ranks 8th of 34 groups on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 18 years of available data.

Lakes and rivers permanent water area change in Western Europe, year by year

Annual values for Lakes and rivers permanent water area change (%) in Western Europe, 2005 to 2022.
Year Value Change
2005 4.4%
2006 4.9% +9.2%
2007 5.7% +16.5%
2008 5.9% +3.8%
2009 5.3% -9.6%
2010 5.2% -1.8%
2011 5.6% +6.9%
2012 5.7% +1.9%
2013 5.7% -0.0%
2014 7.2% +27.1%
2015 7.9% +9.8%
2016 12.0% +51.0%
2017 12.8% +6.6%
2018 13.4% +5.1%
2019 13.4% +0.3%
2020 13.2% -1.7%
2021 13.7% +3.3%
2022 13.7% +0.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 5.2% 4.4% 5.9% 5
2010s 8.9% 5.2% 13.4% 10
2020s 13.5% 13.2% 13.7% 3

Countries ranked near Western Europe

  1. 5 Norfolk Island 385.7% compare
  2. 6 Saint Helena 372.4% compare
  3. 7 Cocos (Keeling) Islands 300.0% compare
  4. 8 Sao Tome and Principe 299.6% compare
  5. 9 Pitcairn 299.0% compare
  6. 10 South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands 265.7% compare
  7. 11 Solomon Islands 264.4% compare

See the full ranking of 274 places →

More environment data for Western Europe

All data for Western Europe →

Frequently asked questions

What is lakes and rivers permanent water area change in Western Europe?
Lakes and rivers permanent water area change in Western Europe was 13.7% in 2022, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
What is the highest lakes and rivers permanent water area change recorded in Western Europe?
The highest recorded value was 13.7% in 2022.
What is the lowest lakes and rivers permanent water area change recorded in Western Europe?
The lowest recorded value was 4.4% in 2005.
How does Western Europe rank for lakes and rivers permanent water area change?
Western Europe ranks 8th out of 34 groups with data for 2022.
Is lakes and rivers permanent water area change rising or falling in Western Europe?
Over the last ten years it is up 141.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Western Europe data come from?
The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Lakes and rivers permanent water area change (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Lakes and rivers permanent water area change in Western Europe. Statizoid, drawing on United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Retrieved 27 August 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/stat/lakes-and-rivers-permanent-water-area-change-percent/western-europe/

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About this data

Indicator
Lakes and rivers permanent water area change (%)
Source
United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database
Licence
UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested)
Coverage
274 places, 4,930 data points, 2005–2022
Last refreshed