Municipal water withdrawal in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Municipal water withdrawal was 547.08 million cubic meters in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
547.08 million cubic meters
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
78th
of 183 countries
All-time high
648.96 million cubic meters
in 2018
All-time low
171.00 million cubic meters
in 1987
Years of data
37
1987–2023
Municipal water withdrawal in Zimbabwe, 1987–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – AQUASTAT (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in cubic meters.
Analysis
The most recent figure for municipal water withdrawal in Zimbabwe is 547.08 million cubic meters, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 5.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, municipal water withdrawal in Zimbabwe peaked at 648.96 million cubic meters in 2018 and was at its lowest, 171.00 million cubic meters, in 1987.
Zimbabwe ranks 78th of 183 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 37 years of available data.
Municipal water withdrawal in Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | cubic meters | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 171.00 million cubic meters | — |
| 1988 | 198.87 million cubic meters | +16.3% |
| 1989 | 226.73 million cubic meters | +14.0% |
| 1990 | 254.60 million cubic meters | +12.3% |
| 1991 | 282.47 million cubic meters | +10.9% |
| 1992 | 310.33 million cubic meters | +9.9% |
| 1993 | 338.20 million cubic meters | +9.0% |
| 1994 | 366.07 million cubic meters | +8.2% |
| 1995 | 393.93 million cubic meters | +7.6% |
| 1996 | 421.80 million cubic meters | +7.1% |
| 1997 | 449.67 million cubic meters | +6.6% |
| 1998 | 477.53 million cubic meters | +6.2% |
| 1999 | 505.40 million cubic meters | +5.8% |
| 2000 | 533.27 million cubic meters | +5.5% |
| 2001 | 561.13 million cubic meters | +5.2% |
| 2002 | 589.00 million cubic meters | +5.0% |
| 2003 | 556.20 million cubic meters | -5.6% |
| 2004 | 523.40 million cubic meters | -5.9% |
| 2005 | 490.60 million cubic meters | -6.3% |
| 2006 | 457.80 million cubic meters | -6.7% |
| 2007 | 425.00 million cubic meters | -7.2% |
| 2008 | 450.79 million cubic meters | +6.1% |
| 2009 | 476.57 million cubic meters | +5.7% |
| 2010 | 502.36 million cubic meters | +5.4% |
| 2011 | 528.15 million cubic meters | +5.1% |
| 2012 | 553.94 million cubic meters | +4.9% |
| 2013 | 579.73 million cubic meters | +4.7% |
| 2014 | 605.51 million cubic meters | +4.4% |
| 2015 | 631.30 million cubic meters | +4.3% |
| 2016 | 599.30 million cubic meters | -5.1% |
| 2017 | 487.70 million cubic meters | -18.6% |
| 2018 | 648.96 million cubic meters | +33.1% |
| 2019 | 561.43 million cubic meters | -13.5% |
| 2020 | 547.08 million cubic meters | -2.6% |
| 2021 | 547.08 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 547.08 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 547.08 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
Zimbabwe compared with similar countries
- Zimbabwe's 547.08 million cubic meters is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 245.90 million cubic meters, 2.2× the median. (44 countries reporting)
- Zimbabwe's 547.08 million cubic meters is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 144.05 million cubic meters, 3.8× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 198.87 million cubic meters | 171.00 million cubic meters | 226.73 million cubic meters | 3 |
| 1990s | 380.00 million cubic meters | 254.60 million cubic meters | 505.40 million cubic meters | 10 |
| 2000s | 506.38 million cubic meters | 425.00 million cubic meters | 589.00 million cubic meters | 10 |
| 2010s | 569.84 million cubic meters | 487.70 million cubic meters | 648.96 million cubic meters | 10 |
| 2020s | 547.08 million cubic meters | 547.08 million cubic meters | 547.08 million cubic meters | 4 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
More environment data for Zimbabwe
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 2.93 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 3.29 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.311 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.06 °C (2025)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.29 % 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) 0 % 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 Zimbabwe?
- Municipal water withdrawal in Zimbabwe was 547.08 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 Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 648.96 million cubic meters in 2018.
- What is the lowest municipal water withdrawal recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 171.00 million cubic meters in 1987.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for municipal water withdrawal?
- Zimbabwe ranks 78th out of 183 countries with data for 2023.
- Is municipal water withdrawal rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zimbabwe 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 — 37 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.