Lakes and rivers permanent water area in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Lakes and rivers permanent water area was 0.7% in 2022. ▲ Rising

Latest (2022)
0.7%
Change on year
up 0.1%
World rank
71st
of 221 countries
All-time high
0.8%
in 2018
All-time low
0.3%
in 2000
Years of data
23
2000–2022

Lakes and rivers permanent water area in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 2000–2022

00.20.40.60.82000201120222000: 0.3132001: 0.4582002: 0.6042003: 0.72004: 0.7062005: 0.6892006: 0.5892007: 0.5492008: 0.4762009: 0.4032010: 0.4492011: 0.5322012: 0.5782013: 0.632014: 0.7092015: 0.7132016: 0.7352017: 0.7352018: 0.7552019: 0.7522020: 0.7472021: 0.7482022: 0.749

Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.

Analysis

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland recorded 0.7% for lakes and rivers permanent water area in 2022.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 29.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, lakes and rivers permanent water area in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 0.8% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 0.3%, in 2000.

That places United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 71st out of 221 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.

Lakes and rivers permanent water area in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year

Annual values for Lakes and rivers permanent water area (% of total land area) in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 2000 to 2022.
Year Value Change
2000 0.3%
2001 0.5% +46.6%
2002 0.6% +31.7%
2003 0.7% +16.0%
2004 0.7% +0.8%
2005 0.7% -2.4%
2006 0.6% -14.4%
2007 0.5% -6.8%
2008 0.5% -13.3%
2009 0.4% -15.5%
2010 0.4% +11.6%
2011 0.5% +18.5%
2012 0.6% +8.5%
2013 0.6% +9.1%
2014 0.7% +12.5%
2015 0.7% +0.6%
2016 0.7% +3.1%
2017 0.7% -0.1%
2018 0.8% +2.7%
2019 0.8% -0.3%
2020 0.7% -0.8%
2021 0.7% +0.1%
2022 0.7% +0.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 0.5% 0.3% 0.7% 10
2010s 0.7% 0.4% 0.8% 10
2020s 0.7% 0.7% 0.7% 3

Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

  1. 69 El Salvador 0.8% compare
  2. 70 Faroe Islands 0.8% compare
  3. 71 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 0.7% compare
  4. 73 Brazil 0.7% compare
  5. 74 Romania 0.7% compare

See the full ranking of 258 places →

More environment data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is lakes and rivers permanent water area in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
Lakes and rivers permanent water area in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 0.7% in 2022, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
What is the highest lakes and rivers permanent water area recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 0.8% in 2018.
What is the lowest lakes and rivers permanent water area recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 0.3% in 2000.
How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for lakes and rivers permanent water area?
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 71st out of 221 countries with data for 2022.
Is lakes and rivers permanent water area rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is up 29.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 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).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Lakes and rivers permanent water area in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Statizoid, drawing on United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Retrieved 12 September 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/stat/lakes-and-rivers-permanent-water-area-percent-of-total-land-area/united-kingdom/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://environment.statizoid.com/stat/lakes-and-rivers-permanent-water-area-percent-of-total-land-area/united-kingdom/">Lakes and rivers permanent water area in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Lakes and rivers permanent water area (% of total land area)
Source
United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database
Licence
UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested)
Coverage
258 places, 5,932 data points, 2000–2022
Last refreshed