Municipal water withdrawal in Zambia
Zambia: Municipal water withdrawal was 760.00 million cubic meters in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
760.00 million cubic meters
Change on year
up 2.7%
World rank
66th
of 183 countries
All-time high
760.00 million cubic meters
in 2023
All-time low
270.00 million cubic meters
in 1994
Years of data
32
1992–2023
Municipal water withdrawal in Zambia, 1992–2023
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 Zambia stood at 760.00 million cubic meters. That is the highest value across all 32 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.7% on the previous year and up 36.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, municipal water withdrawal in Zambia peaked at 760.00 million cubic meters in 2023 and was at its lowest, 270.00 million cubic meters, in 1994.
Zambia ranks 66th of 183 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 32 years of available data.
Municipal water withdrawal in Zambia, year by year
| Year | cubic meters | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 301.00 million cubic meters | — |
| 1993 | 285.50 million cubic meters | -5.1% |
| 1994 | 270.00 million cubic meters | -5.4% |
| 1995 | 273.33 million cubic meters | +1.2% |
| 1996 | 276.67 million cubic meters | +1.2% |
| 1997 | 280.00 million cubic meters | +1.2% |
| 1998 | 283.33 million cubic meters | +1.2% |
| 1999 | 286.67 million cubic meters | +1.2% |
| 2000 | 290.00 million cubic meters | +1.2% |
| 2001 | 310.48 million cubic meters | +7.1% |
| 2002 | 330.95 million cubic meters | +6.6% |
| 2003 | 351.43 million cubic meters | +6.2% |
| 2004 | 371.90 million cubic meters | +5.8% |
| 2005 | 392.38 million cubic meters | +5.5% |
| 2006 | 412.86 million cubic meters | +5.2% |
| 2007 | 433.33 million cubic meters | +5.0% |
| 2008 | 453.81 million cubic meters | +4.7% |
| 2009 | 474.29 million cubic meters | +4.5% |
| 2010 | 494.76 million cubic meters | +4.3% |
| 2011 | 515.24 million cubic meters | +4.1% |
| 2012 | 535.71 million cubic meters | +4.0% |
| 2013 | 556.19 million cubic meters | +3.8% |
| 2014 | 576.67 million cubic meters | +3.7% |
| 2015 | 597.14 million cubic meters | +3.6% |
| 2016 | 617.62 million cubic meters | +3.4% |
| 2017 | 638.10 million cubic meters | +3.3% |
| 2018 | 658.57 million cubic meters | +3.2% |
| 2019 | 679.05 million cubic meters | +3.1% |
| 2020 | 699.52 million cubic meters | +3.0% |
| 2021 | 720.00 million cubic meters | +2.9% |
| 2022 | 740.00 million cubic meters | +2.8% |
| 2023 | 760.00 million cubic meters | +2.7% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 760.00 million cubic meters is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 245.90 million cubic meters, 3.1× the median. (44 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 760.00 million cubic meters is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 144.05 million cubic meters, 5.3× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 282.06 million cubic meters | 270.00 million cubic meters | 301.00 million cubic meters | 8 |
| 2000s | 382.14 million cubic meters | 290.00 million cubic meters | 474.29 million cubic meters | 10 |
| 2010s | 586.90 million cubic meters | 494.76 million cubic meters | 679.05 million cubic meters | 10 |
| 2020s | 729.88 million cubic meters | 699.52 million cubic meters | 760.00 million cubic meters | 4 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More environment data for Zambia
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -2.98 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -3.03 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.265 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.11 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.74 % 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 3.49 % 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 Zambia?
- Municipal water withdrawal in Zambia was 760.00 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 Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 760.00 million cubic meters in 2023.
- What is the lowest municipal water withdrawal recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 270.00 million cubic meters in 1994.
- How does Zambia rank for municipal water withdrawal?
- Zambia ranks 66th out of 183 countries with data for 2023.
- Is municipal water withdrawal rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 36.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zambia 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 — 32 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.