Municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in Zambia
Zambia: Municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals was 18.4% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in Zambia, 1992–2022
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
Zambia recorded 18.4% for municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in 2022. That is the highest value across all 31 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in Zambia peaked at 18.4% in 2002 and was at its lowest, 15.8%, in 1994.
That places Zambia 95th out of 180 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 31 years of available data.
Municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in Zambia, year by year
| Year | % of total freshwater withdrawal | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 17.2% | — |
| 1993 | 16.5% | -4.0% |
| 1994 | 15.8% | -4.3% |
| 1995 | 16.2% | +2.2% |
| 1996 | 16.5% | +2.2% |
| 1997 | 16.9% | +2.1% |
| 1998 | 17.2% | +2.1% |
| 1999 | 17.6% | +2.1% |
| 2000 | 18.0% | +2.1% |
| 2001 | 18.2% | +1.3% |
| 2002 | 18.4% | +1.3% |
| 2003 | 18.4% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 18.4% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 18.4% | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 18.4% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 18.4% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 18.4% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 18.4% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 18.4% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 18.4% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 18.4% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 18.4% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 18.4% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 18.4% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 18.4% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 18.4% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 18.4% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 18.4% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 18.4% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 18.4% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 18.4% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 16.7% | 15.8% | 17.6% | 8 |
| 2000s | 18.4% | 18.0% | 18.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 18.4% | 18.4% | 18.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.4% | 18.4% | 18.4% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More environment data for Zambia
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -2.98 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -3.03 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.265 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.11 °C (2025)
- Wood-based panels — Import quantity, annual growth rate -1.18 % 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 0.0015 m3 per person (2024)
- Wood-based panels — Import value, annual growth rate -1.76 % 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 Zambia?
- Municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in Zambia was 18.4% 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 Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 18.4% in 2002.
- What is the lowest municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.8% in 1994.
- How does Zambia rank for municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals?
- Zambia ranks 95th out of 180 countries with data for 2022.
- Is municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zambia 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 — 31 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).