Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of in Australia
Australia: Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of was 4.2% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of in Australia, 2000–2023
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of in Australia is 4.2%, measured in 2023.
The figure is down 9.6% on the previous year and down 45.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of in Australia peaked at 8.7% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 3.4%, in 2020.
That places Australia 139th out of 196 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of in Australia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 8.7% | — |
| 2001 | 8.7% | -0.6% |
| 2002 | 8.4% | -3.2% |
| 2003 | 8.1% | -3.3% |
| 2004 | 7.8% | -3.6% |
| 2005 | 7.5% | -3.6% |
| 2006 | 7.1% | -6.2% |
| 2007 | 6.6% | -6.7% |
| 2008 | 6.1% | -7.3% |
| 2009 | 5.6% | -7.7% |
| 2010 | 5.3% | -6.0% |
| 2011 | 5.3% | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 6.4% | +20.2% |
| 2013 | 7.7% | +20.7% |
| 2014 | 7.4% | -3.6% |
| 2015 | 3.7% | -50.0% |
| 2016 | 4.3% | +15.1% |
| 2017 | 4.8% | +13.6% |
| 2018 | 5.0% | +2.3% |
| 2019 | 4.2% | -14.3% |
| 2020 | 3.4% | -20.7% |
| 2021 | 4.5% | +32.0% |
| 2022 | 4.7% | +4.9% |
| 2023 | 4.2% | -9.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 7.5% | 5.6% | 8.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.4% | 3.7% | 7.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.2% | 3.4% | 4.7% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 136 Chad 4.3% compare
- 137 Bermuda 4.2% compare
- 138 South Sudan 4.2% compare
- 140 Georgia 4.2% compare
- 141 Russian Federation 4.2% compare
- 141 Russian Federation 4.2% compare
More environment data for Australia
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -4.75 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -5.98 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.345 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.4 °C (2025)
- Industrial roundwood — Import quantity, per unit of GDP 0 m3 per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Industrial roundwood — Import quantity, per capita 0 m3 per person (2024)
- Industrial roundwood — Import value, per unit of GDP 0 1000 USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Industrial roundwood — Import value, per capita 0 1000 USD per person (2024)
- Industrial roundwood — Export quantity, annual growth rate 6.91 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of in Australia?
- Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of in Australia was 4.2% in 2023, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 8.7% in 2000.
- What is the lowest level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.4% in 2020.
- How does Australia rank for level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of?
- Australia ranks 139th out of 196 countries with data for 2023.
- Is level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 45.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of available freshwater resources (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).