Lakes and rivers permanent water area change in World

World: Lakes and rivers permanent water area change was 4.4% in 2022. β–² Rising

Latest (2022)
4.4%
Change on year
up 0.8%
Rank
26th
of 42 groups
All-time high
4.4%
in 2022
All-time low
2.2%
in 2013
Years of data
18
2005–2022

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

012342005201320222005: 2.2 %2006: 2.2 %2007: 2.3 %2008: 2.5 %2009: 2.8 %2010: 2.9 %2011: 2.7 %2012: 2.7 %2013: 2.2 %2014: 2.4 %2015: 2.5 %2016: 2.8 %2017: 3.1 %2018: 3.9 %2019: 4.1 %2020: 4.2 %2021: 4.3 %2022: 4.4 %

Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2022, lakes and rivers permanent water area change in World stood at 4.4%. That is the highest value across all 18 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.8% on the previous year and up 64.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, lakes and rivers permanent water area change in World peaked at 4.4% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 2.2%, in 2013.

That places World 26th out of 42 groups with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 2.4% 2.2% 2.8% 5
2010s 2.9% 2.2% 4.1% 10
2020s 4.3% 4.2% 4.4% 3

Countries ranked near World

  1. 23 Guam 118.7% compare
  2. 24 Marshall Islands 108.9% compare
  3. 25 Micronesia (Federated States of) 103.6% compare
  4. 26 RΓ©union 77.4% compare
  5. 27 Burkina Faso 68.2% compare
  6. 28 Kuwait 66.4% compare
  7. 29 Eritrea 64.3% compare

See the full ranking of 274 places β†’

More environment data for World

All data for World β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is lakes and rivers permanent water area change in World?
Lakes and rivers permanent water area change in World was 4.4% in 2022, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
What is the highest lakes and rivers permanent water area change recorded in World?
The highest recorded value was 4.4% in 2022.
What is the lowest lakes and rivers permanent water area change recorded in World?
The lowest recorded value was 2.2% in 2013.
How does World rank for lakes and rivers permanent water area change?
World ranks 26th out of 42 groups with data for 2022.
Is lakes and rivers permanent water area change rising or falling in World?
Over the last ten years it is up 64.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this World 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 World. Statizoid, drawing on United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Retrieved 16 August 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/stat/lakes-and-rivers-permanent-water-area-change-percent/world/

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About this data

Indicator
Lakes and rivers permanent water area change (%)
Unit
%
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