Municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in United States of America
United States of America: Municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals was 13.1% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in United States of America, 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 United States of America stood at 13.1%. That is the highest value across all 33 years on record.
The figure is up 1.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in United States of America peaked at 13.1% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 10.8%, in 1990.
United States of America ranks 120th of 180 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
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 United States of America, year by year
| Year | % of total freshwater withdrawal | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 10.8% | — |
| 1991 | 10.9% | +0.5% |
| 1992 | 11.0% | +0.5% |
| 1993 | 11.0% | +0.5% |
| 1994 | 11.1% | +0.5% |
| 1995 | 11.1% | +0.5% |
| 1996 | 11.2% | +0.5% |
| 1997 | 11.3% | +0.5% |
| 1998 | 11.3% | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 11.4% | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 11.4% | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 11.5% | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 11.5% | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 11.6% | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 11.6% | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 11.6% | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 11.8% | +1.8% |
| 2007 | 12.1% | +1.8% |
| 2008 | 12.3% | +1.9% |
| 2009 | 12.5% | +2.0% |
| 2010 | 12.8% | +2.1% |
| 2011 | 12.9% | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 12.9% | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 13.0% | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 13.1% | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 13.1% | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 13.1% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 13.1% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 13.1% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 13.1% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 13.1% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 13.1% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 13.1% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 11.1% | 10.8% | 11.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 11.8% | 11.4% | 12.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 13.0% | 12.8% | 13.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.1% | 13.1% | 13.1% | 3 |
Countries ranked near United States of America
More environment data for United States of America
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -2.64 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -2.16 Percentage change (2025)
- Exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -2.91 Percentage change (2024)
- Exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -3.62 Percentage change (2024)
- Heating Degree Days 6,193 (2024)
- Cooling Degree Days 1,199 (2024)
- Total fisheries production 4.68 million metric tons (2024)
- Capture fisheries production 4.21 million metric tons (2024)
- Aquaculture production 467,617 metric tons (2024)
- Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from Waste 9.94 Mt CO2e (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in United States of America?
- Municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in United States of America was 13.1% 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 United States of America?
- The highest recorded value was 13.1% in 2015.
- What is the lowest municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals recorded in United States of America?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.8% in 1990.
- How does United States of America rank for municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals?
- United States of America ranks 120th out of 180 countries with data for 2022.
- Is municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals rising or falling in United States of America?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States of America 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).