Municipal water withdrawal in Malta
Malta: Municipal water withdrawal was 40.91 million cubic meters in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
40.91 million cubic meters
Change on year
up 3.8%
World rank
160th
of 183 countries
All-time high
49.00 million cubic meters
in 1995
All-time low
14.80 million cubic meters
in 2012
Years of data
54
1970–2023
Municipal water withdrawal in Malta, 1970–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – AQUASTAT (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in cubic meters.
Analysis
Malta recorded 40.91 million cubic meters for municipal water withdrawal in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.8% on the previous year and up 167.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, municipal water withdrawal in Malta peaked at 49.00 million cubic meters in 1995 and was at its lowest, 14.80 million cubic meters, in 2012.
Malta ranks 160th of 183 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 54 years of available data.
Municipal water withdrawal in Malta, year by year
| Year | cubic meters | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 16.00 million cubic meters | — |
| 1971 | 16.38 million cubic meters | +2.4% |
| 1972 | 16.76 million cubic meters | +2.3% |
| 1973 | 17.14 million cubic meters | +2.3% |
| 1974 | 17.52 million cubic meters | +2.2% |
| 1975 | 17.90 million cubic meters | +2.2% |
| 1976 | 18.80 million cubic meters | +5.0% |
| 1977 | 19.70 million cubic meters | +4.8% |
| 1978 | 20.60 million cubic meters | +4.6% |
| 1979 | 21.50 million cubic meters | +4.4% |
| 1980 | 22.40 million cubic meters | +4.2% |
| 1981 | 23.30 million cubic meters | +4.0% |
| 1982 | 24.20 million cubic meters | +3.9% |
| 1983 | 25.10 million cubic meters | +3.7% |
| 1984 | 26.00 million cubic meters | +3.6% |
| 1985 | 26.90 million cubic meters | +3.5% |
| 1986 | 29.11 million cubic meters | +8.2% |
| 1987 | 31.32 million cubic meters | +7.6% |
| 1988 | 33.53 million cubic meters | +7.1% |
| 1989 | 35.74 million cubic meters | +6.6% |
| 1990 | 37.95 million cubic meters | +6.2% |
| 1991 | 40.16 million cubic meters | +5.8% |
| 1992 | 42.37 million cubic meters | +5.5% |
| 1993 | 44.58 million cubic meters | +5.2% |
| 1994 | 46.79 million cubic meters | +5.0% |
| 1995 | 49.00 million cubic meters | +4.7% |
| 1996 | 46.91 million cubic meters | -4.3% |
| 1997 | 44.83 million cubic meters | -4.4% |
| 1998 | 42.74 million cubic meters | -4.7% |
| 1999 | 40.66 million cubic meters | -4.9% |
| 2000 | 38.57 million cubic meters | -5.1% |
| 2001 | 36.49 million cubic meters | -5.4% |
| 2002 | 34.40 million cubic meters | -5.7% |
| 2003 | 34.40 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 32.22 million cubic meters | -6.3% |
| 2005 | 30.04 million cubic meters | -6.8% |
| 2006 | 27.87 million cubic meters | -7.2% |
| 2007 | 25.69 million cubic meters | -7.8% |
| 2008 | 23.51 million cubic meters | -8.5% |
| 2009 | 21.33 million cubic meters | -9.3% |
| 2010 | 19.16 million cubic meters | -10.2% |
| 2011 | 16.98 million cubic meters | -11.4% |
| 2012 | 14.80 million cubic meters | -12.8% |
| 2013 | 15.30 million cubic meters | +3.4% |
| 2014 | 34.60 million cubic meters | +126.1% |
| 2015 | 35.40 million cubic meters | +2.3% |
| 2016 | 36.30 million cubic meters | +2.5% |
| 2017 | 37.00 million cubic meters | +1.9% |
| 2018 | 37.40 million cubic meters | +1.1% |
| 2019 | 38.91 million cubic meters | +4.0% |
| 2020 | 38.18 million cubic meters | -1.9% |
| 2021 | 37.85 million cubic meters | -0.9% |
| 2022 | 39.42 million cubic meters | +4.1% |
| 2023 | 40.91 million cubic meters | +3.8% |
Malta compared with similar countries
- Malta's 40.91 million cubic meters is below the median for high income countries, which is 699.00 million cubic meters, 6% of the median. (61 countries reporting)
- Malta's 40.91 million cubic meters is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 700.00 million cubic meters, 6% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Municipal water withdrawal in Malta 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | +126.1% | 15.30 million cubic meters | 34.60 million cubic meters |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 18.23 million cubic meters | 16.00 million cubic meters | 21.50 million cubic meters | 10 |
| 1980s | 27.76 million cubic meters | 22.40 million cubic meters | 35.74 million cubic meters | 10 |
| 1990s | 43.60 million cubic meters | 37.95 million cubic meters | 49.00 million cubic meters | 10 |
| 2000s | 30.45 million cubic meters | 21.33 million cubic meters | 38.57 million cubic meters | 10 |
| 2010s | 28.58 million cubic meters | 14.80 million cubic meters | 38.91 million cubic meters | 10 |
| 2020s | 39.09 million cubic meters | 37.85 million cubic meters | 40.91 million cubic meters | 4 |
Countries ranked near Malta
More environment data for Malta
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -1.15 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -1.15 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.365 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.16 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.8269 % 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 % 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 Malta?
- Municipal water withdrawal in Malta was 40.91 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 Malta?
- The highest recorded value was 49.00 million cubic meters in 1995.
- What is the lowest municipal water withdrawal recorded in Malta?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.80 million cubic meters in 2012.
- How does Malta rank for municipal water withdrawal?
- Malta ranks 160th out of 183 countries with data for 2023.
- Is municipal water withdrawal rising or falling in Malta?
- Over the last ten years it is up 167.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malta 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 — 54 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.