Municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals was 6.2% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in Sri Lanka, 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 Sri Lanka stood at 6.2%. That is the highest value across all 33 years on record.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in Sri Lanka peaked at 6.2% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 2.0%, in 1990.
Sri Lanka ranks 157th of 180 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.
Municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % of total freshwater withdrawal | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 2.0% | — |
| 1991 | 2.2% | +11.8% |
| 1992 | 2.5% | +9.9% |
| 1993 | 2.7% | +8.4% |
| 1994 | 2.9% | +7.3% |
| 1995 | 3.0% | +6.4% |
| 1996 | 3.2% | +5.7% |
| 1997 | 3.4% | +5.1% |
| 1998 | 3.5% | +4.6% |
| 1999 | 3.7% | +4.2% |
| 2000 | 3.8% | +3.8% |
| 2001 | 4.3% | +12.5% |
| 2002 | 4.8% | +11.1% |
| 2003 | 5.3% | +10.0% |
| 2004 | 5.7% | +9.1% |
| 2005 | 6.2% | +8.4% |
| 2006 | 6.2% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 6.2% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 6.2% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 6.2% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 6.2% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 6.2% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 6.2% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 6.2% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 6.2% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 6.2% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 6.2% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 6.2% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 6.2% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 6.2% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 6.2% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 6.2% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 6.2% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.9% | 2.0% | 3.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.5% | 3.8% | 6.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.2% | 6.2% | 6.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.2% | 6.2% | 6.2% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 154 Mauritania 7.1% compare
- 155 Oman 6.8% compare
- 156 Iran, Islamic Republic of 6.6% compare
- 158 Montenegro 5.5% compare
- 159 Estonia 5.4% compare
- 160 Eritrea 5.3% compare
More environment data for Sri Lanka
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 5.24 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 5.49 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.207 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 0.849 °C (2025)
- Wood-based panels — Import quantity, annual growth rate 20.3 % change on previous year (2024)
- Wood-based panels — Import quantity, per unit of GDP 0 m3 per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Wood-based panels — Import quantity, per capita 0.0024 m3 per person (2024)
- Wood-based panels — Import value, annual growth rate 13.66 % change on previous year (2024)
- Wood-based panels — 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 Sri Lanka?
- Municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in Sri Lanka was 6.2% 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 Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 6.2% in 2005.
- What is the lowest municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.0% in 1990.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals?
- Sri Lanka ranks 157th out of 180 countries with data for 2022.
- Is municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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).