Municipal water withdrawal in Bhutan
Bhutan: Municipal water withdrawal was 17.00 million cubic meters in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
17.00 million cubic meters
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
168th
of 183 countries
All-time high
17.00 million cubic meters
in 2008
All-time low
7.20 million cubic meters
in 1987
Years of data
37
1987–2023
Municipal water withdrawal in Bhutan, 1987–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – AQUASTAT (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in cubic meters.
Analysis
In 2023, municipal water withdrawal in Bhutan stood at 17.00 million cubic meters. That is the highest value across all 37 years on record.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, municipal water withdrawal in Bhutan peaked at 17.00 million cubic meters in 2008 and was at its lowest, 7.20 million cubic meters, in 1987.
That places Bhutan 168th out of 183 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 37 years of available data.
Municipal water withdrawal in Bhutan, year by year
| Year | cubic meters | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 7.20 million cubic meters | — |
| 1988 | 7.67 million cubic meters | +6.5% |
| 1989 | 8.13 million cubic meters | +6.1% |
| 1990 | 8.60 million cubic meters | +5.7% |
| 1991 | 9.07 million cubic meters | +5.4% |
| 1992 | 9.53 million cubic meters | +5.1% |
| 1993 | 10.00 million cubic meters | +4.9% |
| 1994 | 10.47 million cubic meters | +4.7% |
| 1995 | 10.93 million cubic meters | +4.5% |
| 1996 | 11.40 million cubic meters | +4.3% |
| 1997 | 11.87 million cubic meters | +4.1% |
| 1998 | 12.33 million cubic meters | +3.9% |
| 1999 | 12.80 million cubic meters | +3.8% |
| 2000 | 13.27 million cubic meters | +3.6% |
| 2001 | 13.73 million cubic meters | +3.5% |
| 2002 | 14.20 million cubic meters | +3.4% |
| 2003 | 14.67 million cubic meters | +3.3% |
| 2004 | 15.13 million cubic meters | +3.2% |
| 2005 | 15.60 million cubic meters | +3.1% |
| 2006 | 16.07 million cubic meters | +3.0% |
| 2007 | 16.53 million cubic meters | +2.9% |
| 2008 | 17.00 million cubic meters | +2.8% |
| 2009 | 17.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 17.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 17.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 17.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 17.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 17.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 17.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 17.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 17.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 17.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 17.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 17.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 17.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 17.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 17.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
Bhutan compared with similar countries
- Bhutan's 17.00 million cubic meters is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 245.90 million cubic meters, 7% of the median. (44 countries reporting)
- Bhutan's 17.00 million cubic meters is below the median for South Asia, which is 476.30 million cubic meters, 4% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 7.67 million cubic meters | 7.20 million cubic meters | 8.13 million cubic meters | 3 |
| 1990s | 10.70 million cubic meters | 8.60 million cubic meters | 12.80 million cubic meters | 10 |
| 2000s | 15.32 million cubic meters | 13.27 million cubic meters | 17.00 million cubic meters | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.00 million cubic meters | 17.00 million cubic meters | 17.00 million cubic meters | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.00 million cubic meters | 17.00 million cubic meters | 17.00 million cubic meters | 4 |
Countries ranked near Bhutan
- 165 Barbados 20.00 million cubic meters compare
- 165 Lesotho 20.00 million cubic meters compare
- 167 Dominica 19.00 million cubic meters compare
- 169 Djibouti 16.00 million cubic meters compare
- 170 Equatorial Guinea 15.80 million cubic meters compare
- 171 Saint Kitts and Nevis 15.40 million cubic meters compare
More environment data for Bhutan
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 0.2782 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 0.5977 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.257 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.08 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.487 % 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 -5.53 % 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 Bhutan?
- Municipal water withdrawal in Bhutan was 17.00 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 Bhutan?
- The highest recorded value was 17.00 million cubic meters in 2008.
- What is the lowest municipal water withdrawal recorded in Bhutan?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.20 million cubic meters in 1987.
- How does Bhutan rank for municipal water withdrawal?
- Bhutan ranks 168th out of 183 countries with data for 2023.
- Is municipal water withdrawal rising or falling in Bhutan?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Bhutan 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 — 37 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.