Municipal water withdrawal in Nepal
Nepal: Municipal water withdrawal was 147.60 million cubic meters in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
147.60 million cubic meters
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
128th
of 183 countries
All-time high
246.00 million cubic meters
in 1994
All-time low
147.60 million cubic meters
in 2005
Years of data
30
1994–2023
Municipal water withdrawal in Nepal, 1994–2023
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 Nepal stood at 147.60 million cubic meters. That is the lowest value across all 30 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, municipal water withdrawal in Nepal peaked at 246.00 million cubic meters in 1994 and was at its lowest, 147.60 million cubic meters, in 2005.
Nepal ranks 128th of 183 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 30 years of available data.
Municipal water withdrawal in Nepal, year by year
| Year | cubic meters | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 246.00 million cubic meters | — |
| 1995 | 238.68 million cubic meters | -3.0% |
| 1996 | 231.37 million cubic meters | -3.1% |
| 1997 | 224.05 million cubic meters | -3.2% |
| 1998 | 216.73 million cubic meters | -3.3% |
| 1999 | 209.42 million cubic meters | -3.4% |
| 2000 | 202.10 million cubic meters | -3.5% |
| 2001 | 191.20 million cubic meters | -5.4% |
| 2002 | 180.30 million cubic meters | -5.7% |
| 2003 | 169.40 million cubic meters | -6.0% |
| 2004 | 158.50 million cubic meters | -6.4% |
| 2005 | 147.60 million cubic meters | -6.9% |
| 2006 | 147.60 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 147.60 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 147.60 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 147.60 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 147.60 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 147.60 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 147.60 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 147.60 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 147.60 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 147.60 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 147.60 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 147.60 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 147.60 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 147.60 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 147.60 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 147.60 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 147.60 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 147.60 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
Nepal compared with similar countries
- Nepal's 147.60 million cubic meters is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 245.90 million cubic meters, 60% of the median. (44 countries reporting)
- Nepal's 147.60 million cubic meters is below the median for South Asia, which is 476.30 million cubic meters, 31% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 227.71 million cubic meters | 209.42 million cubic meters | 246.00 million cubic meters | 6 |
| 2000s | 163.95 million cubic meters | 147.60 million cubic meters | 202.10 million cubic meters | 10 |
| 2010s | 147.60 million cubic meters | 147.60 million cubic meters | 147.60 million cubic meters | 10 |
| 2020s | 147.60 million cubic meters | 147.60 million cubic meters | 147.60 million cubic meters | 4 |
Countries ranked near Nepal
More environment data for Nepal
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 2.73 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 2.41 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.265 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.43 °C (2025)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -4.81 % 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) -100 % change on previous year (2000)
- 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 Nepal?
- Municipal water withdrawal in Nepal was 147.60 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 Nepal?
- The highest recorded value was 246.00 million cubic meters in 1994.
- What is the lowest municipal water withdrawal recorded in Nepal?
- The lowest recorded value was 147.60 million cubic meters in 2005.
- How does Nepal rank for municipal water withdrawal?
- Nepal ranks 128th out of 183 countries with data for 2023.
- Is municipal water withdrawal rising or falling in Nepal?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Nepal 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 — 30 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.