Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of in South Africa
South Africa: Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of was 67.6 in 2022. ▲ Rising
Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of in South Africa, 1990–2022
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 South Africa is 67.6, measured in 2022. That is the highest value across all 33 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.1% on the previous year and up 38.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of in South Africa peaked at 67.6 in 2022 and was at its lowest, 40.77, in 2000.
South Africa ranks 26th of 178 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.
Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 42.56 | — |
| 1991 | 42.3 | -0.6% |
| 1992 | 42.04 | -0.6% |
| 1993 | 41.78 | -0.6% |
| 1994 | 41.52 | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 41.26 | -0.6% |
| 1996 | 41.18 | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 41.11 | -0.2% |
| 1998 | 41.04 | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 40.97 | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 40.77 | -0.5% |
| 2001 | 41.45 | +1.7% |
| 2002 | 42.13 | +1.6% |
| 2003 | 42.82 | +1.6% |
| 2004 | 43.5 | +1.6% |
| 2005 | 44.18 | +1.6% |
| 2006 | 44.86 | +1.5% |
| 2007 | 45.54 | +1.5% |
| 2008 | 46.22 | +1.5% |
| 2009 | 46.91 | +1.5% |
| 2010 | 47.59 | +1.5% |
| 2011 | 48.27 | +1.4% |
| 2012 | 48.95 | +1.4% |
| 2013 | 45.74 | -6.5% |
| 2014 | 52.75 | +15.3% |
| 2015 | 59.75 | +13.3% |
| 2016 | 60.97 | +2.0% |
| 2017 | 62.06 | +1.8% |
| 2018 | 62.89 | +1.3% |
| 2019 | 64.04 | +1.8% |
| 2020 | 65.03 | +1.5% |
| 2021 | 66.89 | +2.9% |
| 2022 | 67.6 | +1.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 41.58 | 40.97 | 42.56 | 10 |
| 2000s | 43.84 | 40.77 | 46.91 | 10 |
| 2010s | 55.3 | 45.74 | 64.04 | 10 |
| 2020s | 66.51 | 65.03 | 67.6 | 3 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More environment data for South Africa
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 5.46 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 8.52 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.275 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.05 °C (2025)
- Land area equipped for irrigation — Area, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Value Added (Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing) — Value Standard 16.61 % change on previous year (2024)
- Value Added (Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing) — Value Standard 0.0032 million SLC per person (2024)
- Value Added (Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing) — Value US$, annual 17.38 % change on previous year (2024)
- Value Added (Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing) — Value US$, per unit 0 million USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of in South Africa?
- Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of in South Africa was 67.6 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 South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 67.6 in 2022.
- What is the lowest level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 40.77 in 2000.
- How does South Africa rank for level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of?
- South Africa ranks 26th out of 178 countries with data for 2022.
- Is level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 38.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa 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 — 33 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.