Municipal water withdrawal in United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: Municipal water withdrawal was 2.76 billion cubic meters in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
2.76 billion cubic meters
Change on year
up 2.6%
World rank
33rd
of 183 countries
All-time high
2.76 billion cubic meters
in 2023
All-time low
99.00 million cubic meters
in 1980
Years of data
44
1980–2023
Municipal water withdrawal in United Arab Emirates, 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
United Arab Emirates recorded 2.76 billion cubic meters for municipal water withdrawal in 2023. That is the highest value across all 44 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.6% on the previous year and up 35.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, municipal water withdrawal in United Arab Emirates peaked at 2.76 billion cubic meters in 2023 and was at its lowest, 99.00 million cubic meters, in 1980.
United Arab Emirates ranks 33rd of 183 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Municipal water withdrawal in United Arab Emirates, year by year
| Year | cubic meters | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 99.00 million cubic meters | — |
| 1981 | 125.73 million cubic meters | +27.0% |
| 1982 | 152.47 million cubic meters | +21.3% |
| 1983 | 179.20 million cubic meters | +17.5% |
| 1984 | 205.93 million cubic meters | +14.9% |
| 1985 | 232.67 million cubic meters | +13.0% |
| 1986 | 259.40 million cubic meters | +11.5% |
| 1987 | 286.13 million cubic meters | +10.3% |
| 1988 | 312.87 million cubic meters | +9.3% |
| 1989 | 339.60 million cubic meters | +8.5% |
| 1990 | 366.33 million cubic meters | +7.9% |
| 1991 | 393.07 million cubic meters | +7.3% |
| 1992 | 419.80 million cubic meters | +6.8% |
| 1993 | 446.53 million cubic meters | +6.4% |
| 1994 | 473.27 million cubic meters | +6.0% |
| 1995 | 500.00 million cubic meters | +5.6% |
| 1996 | 502.76 million cubic meters | +0.6% |
| 1997 | 505.52 million cubic meters | +0.5% |
| 1998 | 508.28 million cubic meters | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 511.04 million cubic meters | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 513.80 million cubic meters | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 516.53 million cubic meters | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 519.27 million cubic meters | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 522.00 million cubic meters | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 569.50 million cubic meters | +9.1% |
| 2005 | 617.00 million cubic meters | +8.3% |
| 2006 | 795.24 million cubic meters | +28.9% |
| 2007 | 973.48 million cubic meters | +22.4% |
| 2008 | 1.15 billion cubic meters | +18.3% |
| 2009 | 1.33 billion cubic meters | +15.5% |
| 2010 | 1.51 billion cubic meters | +13.4% |
| 2011 | 1.69 billion cubic meters | +11.8% |
| 2012 | 1.86 billion cubic meters | +10.6% |
| 2013 | 2.04 billion cubic meters | +9.6% |
| 2014 | 2.22 billion cubic meters | +8.7% |
| 2015 | 2.40 billion cubic meters | +8.0% |
| 2016 | 2.58 billion cubic meters | +7.4% |
| 2017 | 2.59 billion cubic meters | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 2.62 billion cubic meters | +1.0% |
| 2019 | 2.62 billion cubic meters | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 2.63 billion cubic meters | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 2.63 billion cubic meters | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 2.69 billion cubic meters | +2.6% |
| 2023 | 2.76 billion cubic meters | +2.6% |
United Arab Emirates compared with similar countries
- United Arab Emirates's 2.76 billion cubic meters is above the median for high income countries, which is 699.00 million cubic meters, 4.0× the median. (61 countries reporting)
- United Arab Emirates's 2.76 billion cubic meters is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 700.00 million cubic meters, 3.9× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 219.30 million cubic meters | 99.00 million cubic meters | 339.60 million cubic meters | 10 |
| 1990s | 462.66 million cubic meters | 366.33 million cubic meters | 511.04 million cubic meters | 10 |
| 2000s | 750.85 million cubic meters | 513.80 million cubic meters | 1.33 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.21 billion cubic meters | 1.51 billion cubic meters | 2.62 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.68 billion cubic meters | 2.63 billion cubic meters | 2.76 billion cubic meters | 4 |
Countries ranked near United Arab Emirates
More environment data for United Arab Emirates
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -80.98 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -85.4 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.331 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.5 °C (2025)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 1.15 % 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) 2.2 % 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 United Arab Emirates?
- Municipal water withdrawal in United Arab Emirates was 2.76 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 United Arab Emirates?
- The highest recorded value was 2.76 billion cubic meters in 2023.
- What is the lowest municipal water withdrawal recorded in United Arab Emirates?
- The lowest recorded value was 99.00 million cubic meters in 1980.
- How does United Arab Emirates rank for municipal water withdrawal?
- United Arab Emirates ranks 33rd out of 183 countries with data for 2023.
- Is municipal water withdrawal rising or falling in United Arab Emirates?
- Over the last ten years it is up 35.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this United Arab Emirates 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.