Municipal water withdrawal in Belgium
Belgium: Municipal water withdrawal was 740.19 million cubic meters in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
740.19 million cubic meters
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
68th
of 183 countries
All-time high
993.30 million cubic meters
in 1980
All-time low
697.00 million cubic meters
in 2008
Years of data
44
1980–2023
Municipal water withdrawal in Belgium, 1980–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – AQUASTAT (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in cubic meters.
Analysis
Belgium recorded 740.19 million cubic meters for municipal water withdrawal in 2023.
That represents a change of up 1.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, municipal water withdrawal in Belgium peaked at 993.30 million cubic meters in 1980 and was at its lowest, 697.00 million cubic meters, in 2008.
Belgium ranks 68th of 183 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 44 years of available data.
Municipal water withdrawal in Belgium, year by year
| Year | cubic meters | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 993.30 million cubic meters | — |
| 1981 | 975.52 million cubic meters | -1.8% |
| 1982 | 957.74 million cubic meters | -1.8% |
| 1983 | 939.96 million cubic meters | -1.9% |
| 1984 | 922.18 million cubic meters | -1.9% |
| 1985 | 904.40 million cubic meters | -1.9% |
| 1986 | 886.62 million cubic meters | -2.0% |
| 1987 | 868.84 million cubic meters | -2.0% |
| 1988 | 851.06 million cubic meters | -2.0% |
| 1989 | 833.28 million cubic meters | -2.1% |
| 1990 | 815.50 million cubic meters | -2.1% |
| 1991 | 797.72 million cubic meters | -2.2% |
| 1992 | 779.94 million cubic meters | -2.2% |
| 1993 | 762.16 million cubic meters | -2.3% |
| 1994 | 744.38 million cubic meters | -2.3% |
| 1995 | 726.60 million cubic meters | -2.4% |
| 1996 | 800.30 million cubic meters | +10.1% |
| 1997 | 874.00 million cubic meters | +9.2% |
| 1998 | 832.03 million cubic meters | -4.8% |
| 1999 | 790.07 million cubic meters | -5.0% |
| 2000 | 748.10 million cubic meters | -5.3% |
| 2001 | 741.95 million cubic meters | -0.8% |
| 2002 | 735.80 million cubic meters | -0.8% |
| 2003 | 736.80 million cubic meters | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 737.80 million cubic meters | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 738.80 million cubic meters | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 734.60 million cubic meters | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 730.40 million cubic meters | -0.6% |
| 2008 | 697.00 million cubic meters | -4.6% |
| 2009 | 706.00 million cubic meters | +1.3% |
| 2010 | 712.33 million cubic meters | +0.9% |
| 2011 | 718.67 million cubic meters | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 725.00 million cubic meters | +0.9% |
| 2013 | 733.00 million cubic meters | +1.1% |
| 2014 | 721.00 million cubic meters | -1.6% |
| 2015 | 739.00 million cubic meters | +2.5% |
| 2016 | 762.09 million cubic meters | +3.1% |
| 2017 | 785.18 million cubic meters | +3.0% |
| 2018 | 808.27 million cubic meters | +2.9% |
| 2019 | 831.36 million cubic meters | +2.9% |
| 2020 | 854.45 million cubic meters | +2.8% |
| 2021 | 856.20 million cubic meters | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 740.19 million cubic meters | -13.5% |
| 2023 | 740.19 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
Belgium compared with similar countries
- Belgium's 740.19 million cubic meters is above the median for high income countries, which is 699.00 million cubic meters, 1.1× the median. (61 countries reporting)
- Belgium's 740.19 million cubic meters is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 657.50 million cubic meters, 1.1× the median. (50 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 913.29 million cubic meters | 833.28 million cubic meters | 993.30 million cubic meters | 10 |
| 1990s | 792.27 million cubic meters | 726.60 million cubic meters | 874.00 million cubic meters | 10 |
| 2000s | 730.73 million cubic meters | 697.00 million cubic meters | 748.10 million cubic meters | 10 |
| 2010s | 753.59 million cubic meters | 712.33 million cubic meters | 831.36 million cubic meters | 10 |
| 2020s | 797.76 million cubic meters | 740.19 million cubic meters | 856.20 million cubic meters | 4 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
More environment data for Belgium
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -5.46 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -6.46 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.574 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.19 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.5577 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate 0.0605 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is municipal water withdrawal in Belgium?
- Municipal water withdrawal in Belgium was 740.19 million cubic meters in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – AQUASTAT (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest municipal water withdrawal recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 993.30 million cubic meters in 1980.
- What is the lowest municipal water withdrawal recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 697.00 million cubic meters in 2008.
- How does Belgium rank for municipal water withdrawal?
- Belgium ranks 68th out of 183 countries with data for 2023.
- Is municipal water withdrawal rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Belgium data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – AQUASTAT (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Municipal water withdrawal. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 44 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Water withdrawn each year for direct use by the population, usually measured as the total supplied by the public distribution network.