Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of in Australia
Australia: Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of was 4.67 in 2022. ▼ Falling
Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of in Australia, 1993–2022
Source: AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of in Australia is 4.67, measured in 2022.
The figure is up 5.1% on the previous year and down 26.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of in Australia peaked at 8.91 in 1996 and was at its lowest, 3.37, in 2020.
That places Australia 125th out of 178 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 30 years of available data.
Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of in Australia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 7.46 | — |
| 1994 | 8.49 | +13.8% |
| 1995 | 7.98 | -6.0% |
| 1996 | 8.91 | +11.6% |
| 1997 | 8.82 | -1.0% |
| 1998 | 8.77 | -0.5% |
| 1999 | 8.73 | -0.5% |
| 2000 | 8.71 | -0.3% |
| 2001 | 8.66 | -0.6% |
| 2002 | 8.38 | -3.3% |
| 2003 | 8.1 | -3.4% |
| 2004 | 7.81 | -3.5% |
| 2005 | 7.53 | -3.6% |
| 2006 | 7.06 | -6.3% |
| 2007 | 6.59 | -6.7% |
| 2008 | 6.11 | -7.2% |
| 2009 | 5.64 | -7.7% |
| 2010 | 5.3 | -6.1% |
| 2011 | 5.31 | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 6.38 | +20.1% |
| 2013 | 7.7 | +20.7% |
| 2014 | 7.42 | -3.6% |
| 2015 | 3.71 | -50.1% |
| 2016 | 4.27 | +15.2% |
| 2017 | 4.85 | +13.5% |
| 2018 | 4.96 | +2.3% |
| 2019 | 4.25 | -14.4% |
| 2020 | 3.37 | -20.6% |
| 2021 | 4.45 | +32.0% |
| 2022 | 4.67 | +5.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 8.45 | 7.46 | 8.91 | 7 |
| 2000s | 7.46 | 5.64 | 8.71 | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.41 | 3.71 | 7.7 | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.16 | 3.37 | 4.67 | 3 |
Countries ranked near Australia
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)
- Sawlogs and veneer logs — Production, annual growth rate -5.4 % change on previous year (2024)
- Sawlogs and veneer logs, non-coniferous — Production, annual growth -15.11 % change on previous year (2024)
- Other industrial roundwood — Production, annual growth rate 20.77 % change on previous year (2024)
- Other industrial roundwood, non-coniferous (production) — Production 39.61 % change on previous year (2024)
- Wood charcoal — Production, annual growth rate 4.74 % 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 4.67 in 2022, according to AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 8.91 in 1996.
- What is the lowest level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.37 in 2020.
- How does Australia rank for level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of?
- Australia ranks 125th out of 178 countries with data for 2022.
- Is level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 26.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 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 — 30 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
The level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of available freshwater resources is the ratio between total freshwater withdrawn by all major sectors and total renewable freshwater resources, after taking into account environmental water requirements. Main sectors, as defined by ISIC standards, include agriculture; forestry and fishing; manufacturing; electricity industry; and services. This indicator is also known as water withdrawal intensity.