Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of in Zambia
Zambia: Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of was 8.6% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of in Zambia, 2000–2023
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of in Zambia stood at 8.6%. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.1% on the previous year and up 22.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of in Zambia peaked at 8.6% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 2.8%, in 2002.
That places Zambia 103rd out of 196 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
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 Zambia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 3.3% | — |
| 2001 | 3.1% | -6.7% |
| 2002 | 2.8% | -7.2% |
| 2003 | 3.2% | +13.4% |
| 2004 | 3.6% | +11.8% |
| 2005 | 4.0% | +10.6% |
| 2006 | 4.4% | +9.5% |
| 2007 | 4.7% | +8.7% |
| 2008 | 5.1% | +8.0% |
| 2009 | 5.5% | +7.4% |
| 2010 | 5.9% | +6.9% |
| 2011 | 6.3% | +6.5% |
| 2012 | 6.6% | +6.1% |
| 2013 | 7.0% | +5.7% |
| 2014 | 7.4% | +5.4% |
| 2015 | 7.8% | +5.1% |
| 2016 | 8.2% | +5.0% |
| 2017 | 8.2% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 8.2% | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 8.2% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 8.2% | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 8.3% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 8.4% | +2.1% |
| 2023 | 8.6% | +2.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 4.0% | 2.8% | 5.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.4% | 5.9% | 8.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.4% | 8.2% | 8.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More environment data for Zambia
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -2.98 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -3.03 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.265 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.11 °C (2025)
- Roundwood, non-coniferous — Production, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Wood fuel — Production, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Wood fuel, non-coniferous — Production, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Industrial roundwood — Production, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Industrial roundwood — Import quantity, per unit of GDP 0 m3 per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of in Zambia?
- Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of in Zambia was 8.6% 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 Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 8.6% in 2023.
- What is the lowest level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.8% in 2002.
- How does Zambia rank for level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of?
- Zambia ranks 103rd out of 196 countries with data for 2023.
- Is level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 22.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zambia 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).