Municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in Malta
Malta: Municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals was 63.9% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in Malta, 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
The most recent figure for municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in Malta is 63.9%, measured in 2022.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.7% on the previous year and up 72.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in Malta peaked at 112.0% in 1980 and was at its lowest, 33.8%, in 2013.
That places Malta 18th out of 180 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top 10%.
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 Malta, year by year
| Year | % of total freshwater withdrawal | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 112.0% | — |
| 1981 | 104.0% | -7.1% |
| 1982 | 97.6% | -6.2% |
| 1983 | 92.3% | -5.4% |
| 1984 | 87.8% | -4.8% |
| 1985 | 84.1% | -4.3% |
| 1986 | 84.6% | +0.7% |
| 1987 | 85.1% | +0.6% |
| 1988 | 85.5% | +0.5% |
| 1989 | 85.9% | +0.4% |
| 1990 | 86.2% | +0.4% |
| 1991 | 86.6% | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 86.8% | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 87.1% | +0.3% |
| 1994 | 87.3% | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 87.5% | +0.2% |
| 1996 | 83.5% | -4.6% |
| 1997 | 79.5% | -4.8% |
| 1998 | 75.5% | -5.0% |
| 1999 | 71.6% | -5.2% |
| 2000 | 67.7% | -5.5% |
| 2001 | 63.8% | -5.7% |
| 2002 | 63.8% | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 66.5% | +4.3% |
| 2004 | 65.0% | -2.4% |
| 2005 | 64.6% | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 61.1% | -5.3% |
| 2007 | 54.7% | -10.6% |
| 2008 | 53.8% | -1.6% |
| 2009 | 54.9% | +2.1% |
| 2010 | 48.9% | -11.0% |
| 2011 | 42.9% | -12.2% |
| 2012 | 37.1% | -13.6% |
| 2013 | 33.8% | -8.9% |
| 2014 | 54.1% | +60.3% |
| 2015 | 57.3% | +5.8% |
| 2016 | 57.8% | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 56.1% | -3.0% |
| 2018 | 58.7% | +4.7% |
| 2019 | 61.9% | +5.5% |
| 2020 | 60.4% | -2.4% |
| 2021 | 61.6% | +2.0% |
| 2022 | 63.9% | +3.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 91.9% | 84.1% | 112.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 83.2% | 71.6% | 87.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 61.6% | 53.8% | 67.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 50.9% | 33.8% | 61.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 61.9% | 60.4% | 63.9% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Malta
More environment data for Malta
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -1.15 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -1.15 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.365 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.16 °C (2025)
- Paper and paperboard — Import quantity, annual growth rate 16.46 % 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 0.0393 t per person (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Import value, annual growth rate -2.08 % 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 Malta?
- Municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in Malta was 63.9% 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 Malta?
- The highest recorded value was 112.0% in 1980.
- What is the lowest municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals recorded in Malta?
- The lowest recorded value was 33.8% in 2013.
- How does Malta rank for municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals?
- Malta ranks 18th out of 180 countries with data for 2022.
- Is municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals rising or falling in Malta?
- Over the last ten years it is up 72.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malta 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 — 43 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).