Municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in Germany
Germany: Municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals was 41.5% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in Germany, 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
In 2022, municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in Germany stood at 41.5%. That is the highest value across all 32 years on record.
The figure is up 29.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in Germany peaked at 41.5% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 20.6%, in 1991.
Germany ranks 49th of 180 countries on this measure, 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 Germany, year by year
| Year | % of total freshwater withdrawal | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 20.6% | — |
| 1992 | 21.4% | +3.8% |
| 1993 | 22.1% | +3.4% |
| 1994 | 22.8% | +3.2% |
| 1995 | 23.6% | +3.6% |
| 1996 | 23.8% | +0.7% |
| 1997 | 23.9% | +0.3% |
| 1998 | 24.2% | +1.3% |
| 1999 | 24.9% | +2.9% |
| 2000 | 25.3% | +1.8% |
| 2001 | 26.2% | +3.3% |
| 2002 | 25.3% | -3.4% |
| 2003 | 25.3% | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 25.6% | +1.1% |
| 2005 | 26.5% | +3.4% |
| 2006 | 27.3% | +3.1% |
| 2007 | 28.7% | +5.3% |
| 2008 | 27.9% | -2.9% |
| 2009 | 26.9% | -3.4% |
| 2010 | 28.2% | +4.8% |
| 2011 | 29.8% | +5.5% |
| 2012 | 32.2% | +8.0% |
| 2013 | 34.9% | +8.6% |
| 2014 | 34.6% | -1.0% |
| 2015 | 35.9% | +3.7% |
| 2016 | 35.4% | -1.4% |
| 2017 | 37.9% | +7.2% |
| 2018 | 39.1% | +3.3% |
| 2019 | 41.5% | +6.1% |
| 2020 | 41.5% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 41.5% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 41.5% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 23.0% | 20.6% | 24.9% | 9 |
| 2000s | 26.5% | 25.3% | 28.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 35.0% | 28.2% | 41.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 41.5% | 41.5% | 41.5% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Germany
More environment data for Germany
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -4.12 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -4.36 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.613 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.11 °C (2025)
- Paper and paperboard — Import quantity, annual growth rate 6.59 % 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 0.1063 t per person (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Import value, annual growth rate -3.63 % 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 Germany?
- Municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in Germany was 41.5% 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 Germany?
- The highest recorded value was 41.5% in 2019.
- What is the lowest municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals recorded in Germany?
- The lowest recorded value was 20.6% in 1991.
- How does Germany rank for municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals?
- Germany ranks 49th out of 180 countries with data for 2022.
- Is municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals rising or falling in Germany?
- Over the last ten years it is up 29.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Germany 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).