Municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in France
France: Municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals was 21.6% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in France, 1985–2022
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
France recorded 21.6% for municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in 2022.
That represents a change of up 12.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in France peaked at 21.7% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 15.3%, in 1992.
France ranks 88th of 180 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 38 years of available data.
Municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in France, year by year
| Year | % of total freshwater withdrawal | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 16.9% | — |
| 1986 | 16.7% | -1.4% |
| 1987 | 16.5% | -1.4% |
| 1988 | 16.2% | -1.3% |
| 1989 | 16.0% | -1.3% |
| 1990 | 15.8% | -1.3% |
| 1991 | 15.4% | -2.3% |
| 1992 | 15.3% | -1.3% |
| 1993 | 15.9% | +4.4% |
| 1994 | 16.7% | +4.7% |
| 1995 | 17.5% | +4.9% |
| 1996 | 18.4% | +5.2% |
| 1997 | 19.4% | +5.5% |
| 1998 | 18.9% | -2.6% |
| 1999 | 18.4% | -2.6% |
| 2000 | 17.9% | -2.5% |
| 2001 | 18.1% | +0.8% |
| 2002 | 18.4% | +1.9% |
| 2003 | 17.5% | -5.0% |
| 2004 | 17.5% | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 17.5% | -0.0% |
| 2006 | 17.5% | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 18.1% | +3.2% |
| 2008 | 19.5% | +8.0% |
| 2009 | 19.4% | -0.9% |
| 2010 | 19.8% | +1.9% |
| 2011 | 18.2% | -7.8% |
| 2012 | 19.2% | +5.3% |
| 2013 | 20.2% | +5.3% |
| 2014 | 19.4% | -4.1% |
| 2015 | 18.6% | -4.1% |
| 2016 | 19.6% | +5.5% |
| 2017 | 20.0% | +2.2% |
| 2018 | 19.7% | -1.3% |
| 2019 | 20.3% | +2.6% |
| 2020 | 21.7% | +7.2% |
| 2021 | 21.6% | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 21.6% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 16.5% | 16.0% | 16.9% | 5 |
| 1990s | 17.2% | 15.3% | 19.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 18.1% | 17.5% | 19.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 19.5% | 18.2% | 20.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 21.6% | 21.6% | 21.7% | 3 |
Countries ranked near France
More environment data for France
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -2.44 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -3.44 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.427 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.31 °C (2025)
- Paper and paperboard — Import quantity, annual growth rate 0.5017 % 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 0.0618 t per person (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Import value, annual growth rate 0.1622 % 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 France?
- Municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in France was 21.6% 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 France?
- The highest recorded value was 21.7% in 2020.
- What is the lowest municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals recorded in France?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.3% in 1992.
- How does France rank for municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals?
- France ranks 88th out of 180 countries with data for 2022.
- Is municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals rising or falling in France?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this France 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.
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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).