Lakes and rivers seasonal water area in Europe

Europe: Lakes and rivers seasonal water area was 0.8% in 2022. ▲ Rising

Latest (2022)
0.8%
Change on year
down 0.7%
Rank
13th
of 37 groups
All-time high
0.8%
in 2021
All-time low
0.1%
in 2000
Years of data
23
2000–2022

Lakes and rivers seasonal water area in Europe, 2000–2022

0.20.40.60.82000201120222000: 0.1452001: 0.2272002: 0.3092003: 0.3972004: 0.3752005: 0.412006: 0.4022007: 0.4022008: 0.422009: 0.4512010: 0.472011: 0.4722012: 0.4772013: 0.4482014: 0.4842015: 0.5092016: 0.5462017: 0.6222018: 0.7172019: 0.772020: 0.7962021: 0.8392022: 0.833

Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.

Analysis

Europe recorded 0.8% for lakes and rivers seasonal water area in 2022.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.7% on the previous year and up 74.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, lakes and rivers seasonal water area in Europe peaked at 0.8% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 2000.

Europe ranks 13th of 37 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 seasonal water area in Europe, year by year

Annual values for Lakes and rivers seasonal water area (% of total land area) in Europe, 2000 to 2022.
Year Value Change
2000 0.1%
2001 0.2% +56.1%
2002 0.3% +36.3%
2003 0.4% +28.6%
2004 0.4% -5.5%
2005 0.4% +9.3%
2006 0.4% -2.0%
2007 0.4% +0.1%
2008 0.4% +4.4%
2009 0.5% +7.4%
2010 0.5% +4.2%
2011 0.5% +0.5%
2012 0.5% +1.1%
2013 0.4% -6.2%
2014 0.5% +8.2%
2015 0.5% +5.2%
2016 0.5% +7.2%
2017 0.6% +13.9%
2018 0.7% +15.4%
2019 0.8% +7.3%
2020 0.8% +3.3%
2021 0.8% +5.4%
2022 0.8% -0.7%

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Lakes and rivers seasonal water area in Europe changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
2001 +56.1% 0.1% 0.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 0.4% 0.1% 0.5% 10
2010s 0.6% 0.4% 0.8% 10
2020s 0.8% 0.8% 0.8% 3

Countries ranked near Europe

  1. 10 Singapore 2.3% compare
  2. 11 Saint Martin (French Part) 2.2% compare
  3. 12 Uzbekistan 2.0% compare
  4. 13 Pakistan 1.9% compare
  5. 14 India 1.9% compare
  6. 15 Kazakhstan 1.8% compare
  7. 16 Thailand 1.6% compare

See the full ranking of 258 places →

More environment data for Europe

All data for Europe →

Frequently asked questions

What is lakes and rivers seasonal water area in Europe?
Lakes and rivers seasonal water area in Europe was 0.8% in 2022, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
What is the highest lakes and rivers seasonal water area recorded in Europe?
The highest recorded value was 0.8% in 2021.
What is the lowest lakes and rivers seasonal water area recorded in Europe?
The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 2000.
How does Europe rank for lakes and rivers seasonal water area?
Europe ranks 13th out of 37 groups with data for 2022.
Is lakes and rivers seasonal water area rising or falling in Europe?
Over the last ten years it is up 74.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Europe data come from?
The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Lakes and rivers seasonal water area (% of total land area). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Lakes and rivers seasonal water area in Europe. Statizoid, drawing on United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Retrieved 15 September 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/stat/lakes-and-rivers-seasonal-water-area-percent-of-total-land-area/europe/

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About this data

Indicator
Lakes and rivers seasonal 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