Municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in Iceland
Iceland: Municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals was 28.7% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in Iceland, 1980–2022
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 Iceland stood at 28.7%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 10.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in Iceland peaked at 87.5% in 1985 and was at its lowest, 27.6%, in 2014.
Iceland ranks 67th of 180 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 43 years of available data.
Municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in Iceland, year by year
| Year | % of total freshwater withdrawal | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 87.0% | — |
| 1981 | 87.1% | +0.1% |
| 1982 | 87.2% | +0.1% |
| 1983 | 87.3% | +0.1% |
| 1984 | 87.4% | +0.1% |
| 1985 | 87.5% | +0.1% |
| 1986 | 87.5% | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 87.5% | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 87.5% | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 87.5% | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 87.5% | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 69.8% | -20.2% |
| 1992 | 52.1% | -25.4% |
| 1993 | 51.7% | -0.9% |
| 1994 | 51.2% | -0.9% |
| 1995 | 50.8% | -0.9% |
| 1996 | 50.3% | -0.9% |
| 1997 | 49.8% | -0.9% |
| 1998 | 49.4% | -0.9% |
| 1999 | 48.9% | -0.9% |
| 2000 | 48.5% | -0.9% |
| 2001 | 48.8% | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 49.1% | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 49.1% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 49.1% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 45.2% | -7.9% |
| 2006 | 42.0% | -7.2% |
| 2007 | 39.2% | -6.5% |
| 2008 | 36.9% | -6.0% |
| 2009 | 34.9% | -5.5% |
| 2010 | 33.1% | -5.1% |
| 2011 | 31.4% | -5.2% |
| 2012 | 31.9% | +1.8% |
| 2013 | 29.5% | -7.5% |
| 2014 | 27.6% | -6.5% |
| 2015 | 28.7% | +4.1% |
| 2016 | 30.8% | +7.0% |
| 2017 | 28.7% | -6.6% |
| 2018 | 28.7% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 28.7% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 28.7% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 28.7% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 28.7% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 87.4% | 87.0% | 87.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 56.1% | 48.9% | 87.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 44.3% | 34.9% | 49.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 29.9% | 27.6% | 33.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 28.7% | 28.7% | 28.7% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
- 64 South Sudan 29.3% compare
- 65 Saint Lucia 29.1% compare
- 66 Norway 28.8% compare
- 68 Albania 27.7% compare
- 69 Côte d'Ivoire 27.5% compare
- 70 Italy 27.0% compare
More environment data for Iceland
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 3.89 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.587 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.47 °C (2025)
- Paper and paperboard — Import quantity, annual growth rate -11.35 % 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 0.0161 t per person (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Import value, annual growth rate -13.39 % change on previous year (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Import value, per unit of GDP 0 1000 USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Import value, per capita 0.0341 1000 USD per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in Iceland?
- Municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in Iceland was 28.7% 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 Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 87.5% in 1985.
- What is the lowest municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 27.6% in 2014.
- How does Iceland rank for municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals?
- Iceland ranks 67th out of 180 countries with data for 2022.
- Is municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iceland 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).