Municipal water withdrawal in Japan
Japan: Municipal water withdrawal was 14.40 billion cubic meters in 2023. ▬ Flat
Latest (2023)
14.40 billion cubic meters
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
7th
of 183 countries
All-time high
17.40 billion cubic meters
in 2000
All-time low
13.50 billion cubic meters
in 2020
Years of data
44
1980–2023
Municipal water withdrawal in Japan, 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
Japan recorded 14.40 billion cubic meters for municipal water withdrawal in 2023.
The figure is down 4.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, municipal water withdrawal in Japan peaked at 17.40 billion cubic meters in 2000 and was at its lowest, 13.50 billion cubic meters, in 2020.
Japan ranks 7th of 183 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
Municipal water withdrawal in Japan, year by year
| Year | cubic meters | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 13.70 billion cubic meters | — |
| 1981 | 13.97 billion cubic meters | +2.0% |
| 1982 | 14.25 billion cubic meters | +2.0% |
| 1983 | 14.53 billion cubic meters | +1.9% |
| 1984 | 14.80 billion cubic meters | +1.9% |
| 1985 | 15.07 billion cubic meters | +1.9% |
| 1986 | 15.35 billion cubic meters | +1.8% |
| 1987 | 15.62 billion cubic meters | +1.8% |
| 1988 | 15.90 billion cubic meters | +1.8% |
| 1989 | 16.18 billion cubic meters | +1.7% |
| 1990 | 16.45 billion cubic meters | +1.7% |
| 1991 | 16.73 billion cubic meters | +1.7% |
| 1992 | 17.00 billion cubic meters | +1.6% |
| 1993 | 16.78 billion cubic meters | -1.3% |
| 1994 | 16.56 billion cubic meters | -1.3% |
| 1995 | 16.34 billion cubic meters | -1.3% |
| 1996 | 16.55 billion cubic meters | +1.3% |
| 1997 | 16.76 billion cubic meters | +1.3% |
| 1998 | 16.98 billion cubic meters | +1.3% |
| 1999 | 17.19 billion cubic meters | +1.2% |
| 2000 | 17.40 billion cubic meters | +1.2% |
| 2001 | 16.84 billion cubic meters | -3.2% |
| 2002 | 16.28 billion cubic meters | -3.3% |
| 2003 | 16.16 billion cubic meters | -0.7% |
| 2004 | 16.05 billion cubic meters | -0.7% |
| 2005 | 15.93 billion cubic meters | -0.7% |
| 2006 | 15.82 billion cubic meters | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 15.70 billion cubic meters | -0.7% |
| 2008 | 15.55 billion cubic meters | -0.9% |
| 2009 | 15.41 billion cubic meters | -0.9% |
| 2010 | 15.31 billion cubic meters | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 15.21 billion cubic meters | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 15.11 billion cubic meters | -0.7% |
| 2013 | 15.00 billion cubic meters | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 14.90 billion cubic meters | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 14.80 billion cubic meters | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 14.70 billion cubic meters | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 14.60 billion cubic meters | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 15.00 billion cubic meters | +2.7% |
| 2019 | 14.80 billion cubic meters | -1.3% |
| 2020 | 13.50 billion cubic meters | -8.8% |
| 2021 | 15.60 billion cubic meters | +15.6% |
| 2022 | 14.40 billion cubic meters | -7.7% |
| 2023 | 14.40 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 14.40 billion cubic meters is above the median for high income countries, which is 699.00 million cubic meters, 20.6× the median. (61 countries reporting)
- Japan's 14.40 billion cubic meters is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1.04 billion cubic meters, 13.8× the median. (20 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 14.94 billion cubic meters | 13.70 billion cubic meters | 16.18 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 1990s | 16.73 billion cubic meters | 16.34 billion cubic meters | 17.19 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2000s | 16.11 billion cubic meters | 15.41 billion cubic meters | 17.40 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.94 billion cubic meters | 14.60 billion cubic meters | 15.31 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2020s | 14.47 billion cubic meters | 13.50 billion cubic meters | 15.60 billion cubic meters | 4 |
Countries ranked near Japan
More environment data for Japan
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -4.51 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -4.8 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.358 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.86 °C (2025)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate -3.12 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -2.8 % 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 -0.4957 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is municipal water withdrawal in Japan?
- Municipal water withdrawal in Japan was 14.40 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 Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 17.40 billion cubic meters in 2000.
- What is the lowest municipal water withdrawal recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.50 billion cubic meters in 2020.
- How does Japan rank for municipal water withdrawal?
- Japan ranks 7th out of 183 countries with data for 2023.
- Is municipal water withdrawal rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Japan 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.