Municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in Canada
Canada: Municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals was 13.5% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in Canada, 1991–2022
Source: AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, FAO, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of total freshwater withdrawal.
Analysis
Canada recorded 13.5% for municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in 2022.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 1.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in Canada peaked at 14.3% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 11.3%, in 1991.
That places Canada 118th out of 180 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 32 years of available data.
Municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in Canada, year by year
| Year | % of total freshwater withdrawal | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 11.3% | — |
| 1992 | 11.5% | +1.7% |
| 1993 | 11.7% | +1.7% |
| 1994 | 11.9% | +1.7% |
| 1995 | 12.1% | +1.7% |
| 1996 | 12.3% | +1.8% |
| 1997 | 12.7% | +3.0% |
| 1998 | 13.1% | +3.0% |
| 1999 | 13.3% | +2.1% |
| 2000 | 13.6% | +2.1% |
| 2001 | 13.7% | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 13.8% | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 13.9% | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 14.0% | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 14.1% | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 14.1% | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 14.2% | +0.6% |
| 2008 | 14.2% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 14.2% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 13.1% | -7.8% |
| 2011 | 13.0% | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 13.3% | +1.9% |
| 2013 | 13.5% | +1.9% |
| 2014 | 13.9% | +2.7% |
| 2015 | 14.3% | +2.8% |
| 2016 | 13.9% | -2.8% |
| 2017 | 13.5% | -2.8% |
| 2018 | 13.5% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 13.5% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 13.5% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 13.5% | -0.4% |
| 2022 | 13.5% | +0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 12.2% | 11.3% | 13.3% | 9 |
| 2000s | 14.0% | 13.6% | 14.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 13.5% | 13.0% | 14.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.5% | 13.5% | 13.5% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Canada
More environment data for Canada
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -2.52 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -6.76 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.642 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.96 °C (2025)
- Paper and paperboard — Import quantity, annual growth rate 10.72 % change on previous year (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Import quantity, per unit of GDP 0 t per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Import quantity, per capita 0.063 t per person (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Import value, annual growth rate 7.88 % change on previous year (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Import value, per unit of GDP 0 1000 USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in Canada?
- Municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in Canada was 13.5% in 2022, according to AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, FAO, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 14.3% in 2015.
- What is the lowest municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.3% in 1991.
- How does Canada rank for municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals?
- Canada ranks 118th out of 180 countries with data for 2022.
- Is municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Canada data come from?
- The figures come from AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, FAO, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 32 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Municipal (domestic) water withdrawals as a percentage of total water withdrawals (which is the sum of water used for agriculture, industry, and municipal purposes).