Lakes and rivers permanent water area in Australia
Australia: Lakes and rivers permanent water area was 0.1% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Lakes and rivers permanent water area in Australia, 2000–2022
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for lakes and rivers permanent water area in Australia is 0.1%, measured in 2022.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.5% on the previous year and down 14.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, lakes and rivers permanent water area in Australia peaked at 0.1% in 2002 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 2010.
That places Australia 191st out of 221 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 23 years of available data.
Lakes and rivers permanent water area in Australia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 0.1% | — |
| 2001 | 0.1% | +3.6% |
| 2002 | 0.1% | +4.9% |
| 2003 | 0.1% | -3.7% |
| 2004 | 0.1% | -4.1% |
| 2005 | 0.1% | -5.6% |
| 2006 | 0.1% | -8.4% |
| 2007 | 0.1% | -10.7% |
| 2008 | 0.1% | -2.9% |
| 2009 | 0.1% | +1.2% |
| 2010 | 0.1% | -2.1% |
| 2011 | 0.1% | +2.9% |
| 2012 | 0.1% | +17.4% |
| 2013 | 0.1% | +12.2% |
| 2014 | 0.1% | +3.0% |
| 2015 | 0.1% | +1.7% |
| 2016 | 0.1% | -3.4% |
| 2017 | 0.1% | -13.7% |
| 2018 | 0.1% | -6.6% |
| 2019 | 0.1% | -3.1% |
| 2020 | 0.1% | -4.6% |
| 2021 | 0.1% | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 0.1% | +1.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More environment data for Australia
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -4.75 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -5.98 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.345 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.4 °C (2025)
- Sawnwood — Production, annual growth rate -3.03 % change on previous year (2024)
- Sawnwood — Production, per unit of GDP 0 m3 per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Sawnwood — Production, per capita 0.1383 m3 per person (2024)
- Sawnwood — Import quantity, annual growth rate 18.42 % change on previous year (2024)
- Sawnwood — Import quantity, per unit of GDP 0 m3 per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is lakes and rivers permanent water area in Australia?
- Lakes and rivers permanent water area in Australia was 0.1% in 2022, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest lakes and rivers permanent water area recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 0.1% in 2002.
- What is the lowest lakes and rivers permanent water area recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 2010.
- How does Australia rank for lakes and rivers permanent water area?
- Australia ranks 191st out of 221 countries with data for 2022.
- Is lakes and rivers permanent water area rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Lakes and rivers permanent water area (% of total land area). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).