Lakes and rivers seasonal water area in India
India: Lakes and rivers seasonal water area was 1.9% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Lakes and rivers seasonal water area in India, 2000–2022
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
Analysis
In 2022, lakes and rivers seasonal water area in India stood at 1.9%. That is the highest value across all 23 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.4% on the previous year and up 19.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, lakes and rivers seasonal water area in India peaked at 1.9% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 0.9%, in 2000.
That places India 14th out of 221 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.
Lakes and rivers seasonal water area in India, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 0.9% | — |
| 2001 | 1.0% | +15.3% |
| 2002 | 1.1% | +3.6% |
| 2003 | 1.2% | +13.6% |
| 2004 | 1.3% | +7.9% |
| 2005 | 1.3% | +2.5% |
| 2006 | 1.4% | +1.6% |
| 2007 | 1.4% | +4.3% |
| 2008 | 1.5% | +8.0% |
| 2009 | 1.6% | +3.5% |
| 2010 | 1.6% | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 1.6% | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 1.6% | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 1.5% | -4.1% |
| 2014 | 1.5% | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 1.5% | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 1.6% | +1.6% |
| 2017 | 1.6% | +2.1% |
| 2018 | 1.7% | +4.9% |
| 2019 | 1.6% | -1.5% |
| 2020 | 1.7% | +5.9% |
| 2021 | 1.8% | +5.9% |
| 2022 | 1.9% | +2.4% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 1.9% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.3%, 6.1× the median. (42 countries reporting)
- India's 1.9% is above the median for South Asia, which is 1.6%, 1.2× the median. (5 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1.3% | 0.9% | 1.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.6% | 1.5% | 1.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.8% | 1.7% | 1.9% | 3 |
Countries ranked near India
- 11 Saint Martin (French Part) 2.2% compare
- 12 Uzbekistan 2.0% compare
- 13 Pakistan 1.9% compare
- 15 Kazakhstan 1.8% compare
- 16 Thailand 1.6% compare
- 17 Aruba 1.6% compare
More environment data for India
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 11.05 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 12.52 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.254 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 0.954 °C (2025)
- Cropland — Area, annual growth rate -0.186 % change on previous year (2024)
- Cropland — Area, per unit of GDP 0 1000 ha per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Cropland — Area, per capita 0.0001 1000 ha per person (2024)
- Arable land — Area, annual growth rate -0.2238 % change on previous year (2024)
- Arable land — Area, per unit of GDP 0 1000 ha per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is lakes and rivers seasonal water area in India?
- Lakes and rivers seasonal water area in India was 1.9% in 2022, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest lakes and rivers seasonal water area recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 1.9% in 2022.
- What is the lowest lakes and rivers seasonal water area recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.9% in 2000.
- How does India rank for lakes and rivers seasonal water area?
- India ranks 14th out of 221 countries with data for 2022.
- Is lakes and rivers seasonal water area rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is up 19.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this India 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).