Municipal water withdrawal in China
China: Municipal water withdrawal was 124.85 billion cubic meters in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
124.85 billion cubic meters
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
1st
of 183 countries
All-time high
124.85 billion cubic meters
in 2022
All-time low
6.77 billion cubic meters
in 1980
Years of data
44
1980–2023
Municipal water withdrawal in China, 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
In 2023, municipal water withdrawal in China stood at 124.85 billion cubic meters. That is the highest value across all 44 years on record.
The figure is up 66.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, municipal water withdrawal in China peaked at 124.85 billion cubic meters in 2022 and was at its lowest, 6.77 billion cubic meters, in 1980.
China ranks 1st of 183 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Municipal water withdrawal in China, year by year
| Year | cubic meters | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 6.77 billion cubic meters | — |
| 1981 | 12.23 billion cubic meters | +80.7% |
| 1982 | 17.70 billion cubic meters | +44.7% |
| 1983 | 23.16 billion cubic meters | +30.9% |
| 1984 | 28.63 billion cubic meters | +23.6% |
| 1985 | 29.69 billion cubic meters | +3.7% |
| 1986 | 30.75 billion cubic meters | +3.6% |
| 1987 | 31.81 billion cubic meters | +3.5% |
| 1988 | 32.88 billion cubic meters | +3.3% |
| 1989 | 33.94 billion cubic meters | +3.2% |
| 1990 | 35.00 billion cubic meters | +3.1% |
| 1991 | 31.72 billion cubic meters | -9.4% |
| 1992 | 28.44 billion cubic meters | -10.3% |
| 1993 | 25.16 billion cubic meters | -11.5% |
| 1994 | 29.78 billion cubic meters | +18.4% |
| 1995 | 34.40 billion cubic meters | +15.5% |
| 1996 | 39.02 billion cubic meters | +13.4% |
| 1997 | 43.64 billion cubic meters | +11.8% |
| 1998 | 48.26 billion cubic meters | +10.6% |
| 1999 | 52.88 billion cubic meters | +9.6% |
| 2000 | 57.50 billion cubic meters | +8.7% |
| 2001 | 59.51 billion cubic meters | +3.5% |
| 2002 | 61.51 billion cubic meters | +3.4% |
| 2003 | 63.52 billion cubic meters | +3.3% |
| 2004 | 65.52 billion cubic meters | +3.2% |
| 2005 | 67.53 billion cubic meters | +3.1% |
| 2006 | 69.40 billion cubic meters | +2.8% |
| 2007 | 71.00 billion cubic meters | +2.3% |
| 2008 | 72.90 billion cubic meters | +2.7% |
| 2009 | 74.80 billion cubic meters | +2.6% |
| 2010 | 76.60 billion cubic meters | +2.4% |
| 2011 | 79.00 billion cubic meters | +3.1% |
| 2012 | 72.90 billion cubic meters | -7.7% |
| 2013 | 75.01 billion cubic meters | +2.9% |
| 2014 | 76.70 billion cubic meters | +2.3% |
| 2015 | 79.40 billion cubic meters | +3.5% |
| 2016 | 96.42 billion cubic meters | +21.4% |
| 2017 | 100.00 billion cubic meters | +3.7% |
| 2018 | 106.08 billion cubic meters | +6.1% |
| 2019 | 112.13 billion cubic meters | +5.7% |
| 2020 | 117.01 billion cubic meters | +4.4% |
| 2021 | 122.63 billion cubic meters | +4.8% |
| 2022 | 124.85 billion cubic meters | +1.8% |
| 2023 | 124.85 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 124.85 billion cubic meters is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 542.00 million cubic meters, 230.4× the median. (53 countries reporting)
- China's 124.85 billion cubic meters is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1.04 billion cubic meters, 119.9× the median. (20 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Municipal water withdrawal in China changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | +80.7% | 6.77 billion cubic meters | 12.23 billion cubic meters |
| 1982 | +44.7% | 12.23 billion cubic meters | 17.70 billion cubic meters |
| 1983 | +30.9% | 17.70 billion cubic meters | 23.16 billion cubic meters |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 24.76 billion cubic meters | 6.77 billion cubic meters | 33.94 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 1990s | 36.83 billion cubic meters | 25.16 billion cubic meters | 52.88 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2000s | 66.32 billion cubic meters | 57.50 billion cubic meters | 74.80 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2010s | 87.42 billion cubic meters | 72.90 billion cubic meters | 112.13 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2020s | 122.33 billion cubic meters | 117.01 billion cubic meters | 124.85 billion cubic meters | 4 |
Countries ranked near China
More environment data for China
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.279 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.92 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.8065 % 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 -0.2517 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), annual 0.9037 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is municipal water withdrawal in China?
- Municipal water withdrawal in China was 124.85 billion 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 China?
- The highest recorded value was 124.85 billion cubic meters in 2022.
- What is the lowest municipal water withdrawal recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.77 billion cubic meters in 1980.
- How does China rank for municipal water withdrawal?
- China ranks 1st out of 183 countries with data for 2023.
- Is municipal water withdrawal rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 66.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this China 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.