Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of in Europe
Europe: Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of was 8.2% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of in Europe, 2000–2023
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Measured in %.
Analysis
Europe recorded 8.2% for level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.0% on the previous year and down 7.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of in Europe peaked at 10.9% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 8.1%, in 2022.
Europe ranks 21st of 28 groups on this measure, 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 Europe, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 10.9% | — |
| 2001 | 10.7% | -1.7% |
| 2002 | 10.6% | -0.9% |
| 2003 | 10.4% | -1.3% |
| 2004 | 10.3% | -1.3% |
| 2005 | 10.2% | -0.5% |
| 2006 | 10.2% | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 9.8% | -3.8% |
| 2008 | 10.5% | +6.8% |
| 2009 | 9.8% | -6.8% |
| 2010 | 9.5% | -2.3% |
| 2011 | 9.5% | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 9.3% | -2.4% |
| 2013 | 8.8% | -5.2% |
| 2014 | 9.0% | +1.6% |
| 2015 | 8.6% | -4.1% |
| 2016 | 8.5% | -1.5% |
| 2017 | 8.6% | +1.3% |
| 2018 | 8.6% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 8.4% | -1.4% |
| 2020 | 8.2% | -3.6% |
| 2021 | 8.2% | +0.9% |
| 2022 | 8.1% | -1.3% |
| 2023 | 8.2% | +1.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 10.3% | 9.8% | 10.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.9% | 8.4% | 9.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.2% | 8.1% | 8.2% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Europe
More environment data for Europe
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -3.33 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -1.75 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.435 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.71 °C (2025)
- Recovered paper — Production 57.94 million t (2024)
- Total fibre furnish — Production 101.18 million t (2024)
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Use per area of cropland 49.53 kg/ha (2024)
- Pesticides (total) — Export value 16.44 million 1000 USD (2024)
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Import quantity 11.92 million t (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of in Europe?
- Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of in Europe was 8.2% 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 Europe?
- The highest recorded value was 10.9% in 2000.
- What is the lowest level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of recorded in Europe?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.1% in 2022.
- How does Europe rank for level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of?
- Europe ranks 21st out of 28 groups with data for 2023.
- Is level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of rising or falling in Europe?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Europe 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).