Lakes and rivers permanent water area in Southern Europe

Southern Europe: Lakes and rivers permanent water area was 4,907 in 2022. ▲ Rising

Latest (2022)
4,907
Change on year
down 0.2%
Rank
25th
of 34 groups
All-time high
4,914
in 2021
All-time low
917.03
in 2000
Years of data
23
2000–2022

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

1.0k2.0k3.0k4.0k5.0k2000201120222000: 9172001: 1.7k2002: 2.7k2003: 3.6k2004: 4.5k2005: 4.6k2006: 4.6k2007: 4.6k2008: 4.6k2009: 4.6k2010: 4.6k2011: 4.7k2012: 4.7k2013: 4.7k2014: 4.8k2015: 4.8k2016: 4.8k2017: 4.9k2018: 4.9k2019: 4.9k2020: 4.9k2021: 4.9k2022: 4.9k

Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.

Analysis

In 2022, lakes and rivers permanent water area in Southern Europe stood at 4,907.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.2% on the previous year and up 4.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, lakes and rivers permanent water area in Southern Europe peaked at 4,914 in 2021 and was at its lowest, 917.03, in 2000.

Southern Europe ranks 25th of 34 groups on this measure, 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 Europe, year by year

Annual values for Lakes and rivers permanent water area (square kilometres) in Southern Europe, 2000 to 2022.
Year Value Change
2000 917.03
2001 1,686 +83.9%
2002 2,749 +63.1%
2003 3,635 +32.2%
2004 4,521 +24.4%
2005 4,563 +0.9%
2006 4,585 +0.5%
2007 4,607 +0.5%
2008 4,614 +0.2%
2009 4,625 +0.2%
2010 4,623 -0.1%
2011 4,663 +0.9%
2012 4,690 +0.6%
2013 4,685 -0.1%
2014 4,752 +1.4%
2015 4,816 +1.4%
2016 4,829 +0.3%
2017 4,854 +0.5%
2018 4,910 +1.1%
2019 4,911 +0.0%
2020 4,893 -0.4%
2021 4,914 +0.4%
2022 4,907 -0.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 3,650 917.03 4,625 10
2010s 4,773 4,623 4,911 10
2020s 4,905 4,893 4,914 3

Countries ranked near Southern Europe

  1. 22 Uganda 7,921 compare
  2. 23 Kenya 7,914 compare
  3. 24 Australia and New Zealand 7,761 compare
  4. 25 Colombia 7,157 compare
  5. 26 Kyrgyzstan 6,977 compare
  6. 27 Ethiopia 6,551 compare
  7. 28 Mexico 5,730 compare

See the full ranking of 277 places →

More environment data for Southern Europe

All data for Southern Europe →

Frequently asked questions

What is lakes and rivers permanent water area in Southern Europe?
Lakes and rivers permanent water area in Southern Europe was 4,907 in 2022, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
What is the highest lakes and rivers permanent water area recorded in Southern Europe?
The highest recorded value was 4,914 in 2021.
What is the lowest lakes and rivers permanent water area recorded in Southern Europe?
The lowest recorded value was 917.03 in 2000.
How does Southern Europe rank for lakes and rivers permanent water area?
Southern Europe ranks 25th out of 34 groups with data for 2022.
Is lakes and rivers permanent water area rising or falling in Southern Europe?
Over the last ten years it is up 4.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Southern Europe 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 Europe. Statizoid, drawing on United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Retrieved 28 August 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/stat/lakes-and-rivers-permanent-water-area-square-kilometres/southern-europe/

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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