Municipal water withdrawal in Germany
Germany: Municipal water withdrawal was 9.55 billion cubic meters in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
9.55 billion cubic meters
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
12th
of 183 countries
All-time high
11.65 billion cubic meters
in 2001
All-time low
9.55 billion cubic meters
in 2022
Years of data
33
1991–2023
Municipal water withdrawal in Germany, 1991–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – AQUASTAT (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in cubic meters.
Analysis
The most recent figure for municipal water withdrawal in Germany is 9.55 billion cubic meters, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 33 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 13.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, municipal water withdrawal in Germany peaked at 11.65 billion cubic meters in 2001 and was at its lowest, 9.55 billion cubic meters, in 2022.
Germany ranks 12th of 183 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.
Municipal water withdrawal in Germany, year by year
| Year | cubic meters | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 10.56 billion cubic meters | — |
| 1992 | 10.69 billion cubic meters | +1.2% |
| 1993 | 10.96 billion cubic meters | +2.5% |
| 1994 | 11.23 billion cubic meters | +2.5% |
| 1995 | 11.54 billion cubic meters | +2.8% |
| 1996 | 11.37 billion cubic meters | -1.5% |
| 1997 | 11.31 billion cubic meters | -0.5% |
| 1998 | 11.08 billion cubic meters | -2.1% |
| 1999 | 11.29 billion cubic meters | +1.9% |
| 2000 | 11.39 billion cubic meters | +0.9% |
| 2001 | 11.65 billion cubic meters | +2.3% |
| 2002 | 11.02 billion cubic meters | -5.4% |
| 2003 | 10.67 billion cubic meters | -3.2% |
| 2004 | 10.58 billion cubic meters | -0.8% |
| 2005 | 10.48 billion cubic meters | -1.0% |
| 2006 | 10.62 billion cubic meters | +1.4% |
| 2007 | 11.06 billion cubic meters | +4.2% |
| 2008 | 10.58 billion cubic meters | -4.3% |
| 2009 | 10.40 billion cubic meters | -1.7% |
| 2010 | 11.14 billion cubic meters | +7.2% |
| 2011 | 10.94 billion cubic meters | -1.9% |
| 2012 | 10.88 billion cubic meters | -0.5% |
| 2013 | 11.01 billion cubic meters | +1.2% |
| 2014 | 10.79 billion cubic meters | -2.0% |
| 2015 | 10.67 billion cubic meters | -1.2% |
| 2016 | 10.75 billion cubic meters | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 10.48 billion cubic meters | -2.5% |
| 2018 | 10.49 billion cubic meters | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 10.50 billion cubic meters | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 10.12 billion cubic meters | -3.6% |
| 2021 | 9.74 billion cubic meters | -3.7% |
| 2022 | 9.55 billion cubic meters | -2.0% |
| 2023 | 9.55 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
Germany compared with similar countries
- Germany's 9.55 billion cubic meters is above the median for high income countries, which is 699.00 million cubic meters, 13.7× the median. (61 countries reporting)
- Germany's 9.55 billion cubic meters is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 657.50 million cubic meters, 14.5× the median. (50 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 11.12 billion cubic meters | 10.56 billion cubic meters | 11.54 billion cubic meters | 9 |
| 2000s | 10.85 billion cubic meters | 10.40 billion cubic meters | 11.65 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.77 billion cubic meters | 10.48 billion cubic meters | 11.14 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.74 billion cubic meters | 9.55 billion cubic meters | 10.12 billion cubic meters | 4 |
Countries ranked near Germany
More environment data for Germany
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -4.12 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -4.36 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.613 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.11 °C (2025)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -0.3139 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) (Mt CO2e) -1.44 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) (Mt CO2e), per 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is municipal water withdrawal in Germany?
- Municipal water withdrawal in Germany was 9.55 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 Germany?
- The highest recorded value was 11.65 billion cubic meters in 2001.
- What is the lowest municipal water withdrawal recorded in Germany?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.55 billion cubic meters in 2022.
- How does Germany rank for municipal water withdrawal?
- Germany ranks 12th out of 183 countries with data for 2023.
- Is municipal water withdrawal rising or falling in Germany?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Germany 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 — 33 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.