Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of in Northern Africa
Northern Africa: Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of was 101.1% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of in Northern Africa, 2000–2023
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
Analysis
Northern Africa recorded 101.1% for level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of in 2023.
The figure is down 0.3% on the previous year and up 2.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of in Northern Africa peaked at 102.7% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 77.0%, in 2001.
That places Northern Africa 1st out of 28 groups with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of in Northern Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 81.5% | — |
| 2001 | 77.0% | -5.5% |
| 2002 | 77.5% | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 78.0% | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 79.7% | +2.2% |
| 2005 | 80.0% | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 81.0% | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 81.8% | +1.0% |
| 2008 | 84.2% | +3.0% |
| 2009 | 84.9% | +0.8% |
| 2010 | 87.0% | +2.4% |
| 2011 | 83.9% | -3.6% |
| 2012 | 100.9% | +20.3% |
| 2013 | 98.4% | -2.5% |
| 2014 | 98.0% | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 102.5% | +4.7% |
| 2016 | 102.2% | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 101.6% | -0.6% |
| 2018 | 102.7% | +1.1% |
| 2019 | 102.6% | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 102.1% | -0.6% |
| 2021 | 101.3% | -0.7% |
| 2022 | 101.4% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 101.1% | -0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 80.6% | 77.0% | 84.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 98.0% | 83.9% | 102.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 101.5% | 101.1% | 102.1% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Northern Africa
- 1 Kuwait 3,850.5% compare
- 2 United Arab Emirates 1,437.3% compare
- 3 Saudi Arabia 974.2% compare
- 4 Libya 817.1% compare
More environment data for Northern Africa
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -13.93 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -20 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.281 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.61 °C (2025)
- Recovered paper — Production 701,000 t (2024)
- Total fibre furnish — Production 864,000 t (2024)
- Agricultural land — Share in Land area 27.72 % (2024)
- Nutrient potash K2O (total) — Use per area of cropland 4.57 kg/ha (2024)
- Nutrient potash K2O (total) — Use per capita 0.84 kg/cap (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of in Northern Africa?
- Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of in Northern Africa was 101.1% 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 Northern Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 102.7% in 2018.
- What is the lowest level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of recorded in Northern Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 77.0% in 2001.
- How does Northern Africa rank for level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of?
- Northern Africa ranks 1st out of 28 groups with data for 2023.
- Is level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of rising or falling in Northern Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Northern Africa 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).