Lakes and rivers permanent water area in Southern Asia

Southern Asia: Lakes and rivers permanent water area was 73,458 in 2022. ▲ Rising

Latest (2022)
73,458
Change on year
up 0.4%
Rank
19th
of 34 groups
All-time high
73,458
in 2022
All-time low
55,881
in 2000
Years of data
23
2000–2022

Lakes and rivers permanent water area in Southern Asia, 2000–2022

020.0k40.0k60.0k80.0k2000201120222000: 55.9k2001: 59.4k2002: 64.2k2003: 71.7k2004: 72.1k2005: 71.0k2006: 70.9k2007: 71.0k2008: 71.3k2009: 71.2k2010: 70.9k2011: 70.4k2012: 70.1k2013: 69.4k2014: 69.3k2015: 69.3k2016: 69.6k2017: 70.1k2018: 70.8k2019: 71.2k2020: 72.0k2021: 73.2k2022: 73.5k

Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.

Analysis

In 2022, lakes and rivers permanent water area in Southern Asia stood at 73,458. That is the highest value across all 23 years on record.

The figure is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 4.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, lakes and rivers permanent water area in Southern Asia peaked at 73,458 in 2022 and was at its lowest, 55,881, in 2000.

That places Southern Asia 19th 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 Southern Asia, year by year

Annual values for Lakes and rivers permanent water area (square kilometres) in Southern Asia, 2000 to 2022.
Year Value Change
2000 55,881
2001 59,358 +6.2%
2002 64,198 +8.2%
2003 71,697 +11.7%
2004 72,089 +0.5%
2005 71,021 -1.5%
2006 70,887 -0.2%
2007 70,975 +0.1%
2008 71,259 +0.4%
2009 71,207 -0.1%
2010 70,903 -0.4%
2011 70,384 -0.7%
2012 70,123 -0.4%
2013 69,440 -1.0%
2014 69,268 -0.2%
2015 69,292 +0.0%
2016 69,582 +0.4%
2017 70,100 +0.7%
2018 70,836 +1.1%
2019 71,216 +0.5%
2020 72,046 +1.2%
2021 73,155 +1.5%
2022 73,458 +0.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 67,857 55,881 72,089 10
2010s 70,115 69,268 71,216 10
2020s 72,886 72,046 73,458 3

Countries ranked near Southern Asia

  1. 16 Nicaragua 9,326 compare
  2. 17 Zambia 9,106 compare
  3. 18 Indonesia 8,731 compare
  4. 19 Uzbekistan 8,684 compare
  5. 20 India 8,260 compare
  6. 21 Mozambique 8,223 compare
  7. 22 Uganda 7,921 compare

See the full ranking of 277 places →

More environment data for Southern Asia

All data for Southern Asia →

Frequently asked questions

What is lakes and rivers permanent water area in Southern Asia?
Lakes and rivers permanent water area in Southern Asia was 73,458 in 2022, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
What is the highest lakes and rivers permanent water area recorded in Southern Asia?
The highest recorded value was 73,458 in 2022.
What is the lowest lakes and rivers permanent water area recorded in Southern Asia?
The lowest recorded value was 55,881 in 2000.
How does Southern Asia rank for lakes and rivers permanent water area?
Southern Asia ranks 19th out of 34 groups with data for 2022.
Is lakes and rivers permanent water area rising or falling in Southern Asia?
Over the last ten years it is up 4.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Southern Asia 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 Southern Asia. 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-square-kilometres/southern-asia/

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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