Lakes and rivers permanent water area in Central America

Central America: Lakes and rivers permanent water area was 17,159 in 2022. ▲ Rising

Latest (2022)
17,159
Change on year
down 0.2%
Rank
22nd
of 34 groups
All-time high
17,380
in 2019
All-time low
14,699
in 2000
Years of data
23
2000–2022

Lakes and rivers permanent water area in Central America, 2000–2022

05.0k10.0k15.0k2000201120222000: 14.7k2001: 16.6k2002: 16.5k2003: 16.4k2004: 16.4k2005: 16.5k2006: 16.5k2007: 16.7k2008: 16.8k2009: 16.9k2010: 16.9k2011: 17.0k2012: 17.0k2013: 17.0k2014: 16.8k2015: 16.9k2016: 17.0k2017: 17.1k2018: 17.2k2019: 17.4k2020: 17.3k2021: 17.2k2022: 17.2k

Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.

Analysis

Central America recorded 17,159 for lakes and rivers permanent water area in 2022.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.2% on the previous year and up 0.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, lakes and rivers permanent water area in Central America peaked at 17,380 in 2019 and was at its lowest, 14,699, in 2000.

That places Central America 22nd out of 34 groups 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 Central America, year by year

Annual values for Lakes and rivers permanent water area (square kilometres) in Central America, 2000 to 2022.
Year Value Change
2000 14,699
2001 16,570 +12.7%
2002 16,490 -0.5%
2003 16,381 -0.7%
2004 16,443 +0.4%
2005 16,475 +0.2%
2006 16,541 +0.4%
2007 16,687 +0.9%
2008 16,800 +0.7%
2009 16,927 +0.8%
2010 16,940 +0.1%
2011 17,010 +0.4%
2012 17,026 +0.1%
2013 16,986 -0.2%
2014 16,838 -0.9%
2015 16,918 +0.5%
2016 17,007 +0.5%
2017 17,081 +0.4%
2018 17,202 +0.7%
2019 17,380 +1.0%
2020 17,347 -0.2%
2021 17,200 -0.8%
2022 17,159 -0.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 16,401 14,699 16,927 10
2010s 17,039 16,838 17,380 10
2020s 17,236 17,159 17,347 3

Countries ranked near Central America

  1. 19 Uzbekistan 8,684 compare
  2. 20 India 8,260 compare
  3. 21 Mozambique 8,223 compare
  4. 22 Uganda 7,921 compare
  5. 23 Kenya 7,914 compare
  6. 24 Australia and New Zealand 7,761 compare
  7. 25 Colombia 7,157 compare

See the full ranking of 277 places →

More environment data for Central America

All data for Central America →

Frequently asked questions

What is lakes and rivers permanent water area in Central America?
Lakes and rivers permanent water area in Central America was 17,159 in 2022, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
What is the highest lakes and rivers permanent water area recorded in Central America?
The highest recorded value was 17,380 in 2019.
What is the lowest lakes and rivers permanent water area recorded in Central America?
The lowest recorded value was 14,699 in 2000.
How does Central America rank for lakes and rivers permanent water area?
Central America ranks 22nd out of 34 groups with data for 2022.
Is lakes and rivers permanent water area rising or falling in Central America?
Over the last ten years it is up 0.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Central America data come from?
The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Lakes and rivers permanent water area (square kilometres). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Lakes and rivers permanent water area in Central America. Statizoid, drawing on United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Retrieved 23 August 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/stat/lakes-and-rivers-permanent-water-area-square-kilometres/central-america/

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About this data

Indicator
Lakes and rivers permanent water area (square kilometres)
Source
United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database
Licence
UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested)
Coverage
277 places, 6,369 data points, 2000–2022
Last refreshed