Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of was 974.17 in 2022. ▲ Rising
Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of in Saudi Arabia, 1992–2022
Source: AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
Analysis
Saudi Arabia recorded 974.17 for level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of in 2022. That is the highest value across all 31 years on record.
The figure is up 8.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of in Saudi Arabia peaked at 974.17 in 2018 and was at its lowest, 671.67, in 1992.
Saudi Arabia ranks 3rd of 178 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 31 years of available data.
Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 671.67 | — |
| 1993 | 690.4 | +2.8% |
| 1994 | 708.54 | +2.6% |
| 1995 | 728.02 | +2.7% |
| 1996 | 746.21 | +2.5% |
| 1997 | 765.36 | +2.6% |
| 1998 | 783.88 | +2.4% |
| 1999 | 801.57 | +2.3% |
| 2000 | 819.76 | +2.3% |
| 2001 | 832.64 | +1.6% |
| 2002 | 847.78 | +1.8% |
| 2003 | 858.17 | +1.2% |
| 2004 | 870.13 | +1.4% |
| 2005 | 894.82 | +2.8% |
| 2006 | 943.33 | +5.4% |
| 2007 | 936.13 | -0.8% |
| 2008 | 928.92 | -0.8% |
| 2009 | 921.72 | -0.8% |
| 2010 | 914.51 | -0.8% |
| 2011 | 907.31 | -0.8% |
| 2012 | 900.1 | -0.8% |
| 2013 | 894.24 | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 894.71 | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 948.88 | +6.1% |
| 2016 | 929.58 | -2.0% |
| 2017 | 955.96 | +2.8% |
| 2018 | 974.17 | +1.9% |
| 2019 | 974.17 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 974.17 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 974.17 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 974.17 | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 736.96 | 671.67 | 801.57 | 8 |
| 2000s | 885.34 | 819.76 | 943.33 | 10 |
| 2010s | 929.36 | 894.24 | 974.17 | 10 |
| 2020s | 974.17 | 974.17 | 974.17 | 3 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
More environment data for Saudi Arabia
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -52.52 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -27.86 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.424 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.58 °C (2025)
- Roundwood, non-coniferous — Production, annual growth rate 2.18 % change on previous year (2024)
- Wood fuel — Production, annual growth rate 2.18 % change on previous year (2024)
- Wood fuel, non-coniferous — Production, annual growth rate 2.18 % change on previous year (2024)
- Industrial roundwood — Import quantity, per unit of GDP 0 m3 per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Industrial roundwood — Import quantity, per capita 0.0001 m3 per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of in Saudi Arabia?
- Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of in Saudi Arabia was 974.17 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 Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 974.17 in 2018.
- What is the lowest level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 671.67 in 1992.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 3rd out of 178 countries with data for 2022.
- Is level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia 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 — 31 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.