Municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in Kenya
Kenya: Municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals was 12.3% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in Kenya, 1990–2022
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 Kenya stood at 12.3%. That is the lowest value across all 33 years on record.
The figure is down 66.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in Kenya peaked at 36.9% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 12.3%, in 2016.
That places Kenya 125th out of 180 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.
Municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in Kenya, year by year
| Year | % of total freshwater withdrawal | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 19.7% | — |
| 1991 | 20.4% | +3.8% |
| 1992 | 21.2% | +3.8% |
| 1993 | 22.0% | +3.8% |
| 1994 | 22.9% | +3.9% |
| 1995 | 23.8% | +4.0% |
| 1996 | 24.7% | +4.0% |
| 1997 | 25.7% | +4.1% |
| 1998 | 26.8% | +4.2% |
| 1999 | 27.9% | +4.2% |
| 2000 | 29.1% | +4.3% |
| 2001 | 25.4% | -13.0% |
| 2002 | 22.5% | -11.3% |
| 2003 | 20.3% | -9.9% |
| 2004 | 23.4% | +15.4% |
| 2005 | 26.2% | +12.0% |
| 2006 | 28.7% | +9.7% |
| 2007 | 31.0% | +8.0% |
| 2008 | 33.1% | +6.8% |
| 2009 | 35.1% | +5.8% |
| 2010 | 36.9% | +5.1% |
| 2011 | 36.9% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 36.9% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 36.9% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 36.9% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 36.9% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 12.3% | -66.7% |
| 2017 | 12.3% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 12.3% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 12.3% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 12.3% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 12.3% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 12.3% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 23.5% | 19.7% | 27.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 27.5% | 20.3% | 35.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 27.0% | 12.3% | 36.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.3% | 12.3% | 12.3% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
More environment data for Kenya
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -8.08 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -4.73 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.27 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.12 °C (2025)
- Paper and paperboard — Import quantity, annual growth rate 14.33 % 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 0.0066 t per person (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Import value, annual growth rate 7.84 % 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 Kenya?
- Municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in Kenya was 12.3% 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 Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 36.9% in 2010.
- What is the lowest municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.3% in 2016.
- How does Kenya rank for municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals?
- Kenya ranks 125th out of 180 countries with data for 2022.
- Is municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is down 66.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Kenya 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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CSV · JSON — 33 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).