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Water productivity, GDP per cubic meter of freshwater withdrawal in China

China: Water productivity, GDP per cubic meter of freshwater withdrawal was 29.39 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal in 2022. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2022)
29.39 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal
Change on year
up 3.1%
World rank
81st
of 179 countries
All-time high
29.39 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal
in 2022
All-time low
0.9656 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal
in 1980
Years of data
43
1980–2022

Water productivity, GDP per cubic meter of freshwater withdrawal in China, 1980–2022

01020301980200120221980: 0.966 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal1981: 0.996 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal1982: 1.1 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal1983: 1.2 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal1984: 1.3 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal1985: 1.5 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal1986: 1.6 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal1987: 1.8 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal1988: 2 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal1989: 2 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal1990: 2.1 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal1991: 2.2 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal1992: 2.5 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal1993: 2.8 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal1994: 3.2 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal1995: 3.5 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal1996: 3.8 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal1997: 4.1 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal1998: 4.4 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal1999: 4.8 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal2000: 5.1 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal2001: 5.5 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal2002: 6.1 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal2003: 6.7 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal2004: 7.3 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal2005: 8.2 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal2006: 9 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal2007: 10.2 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal2008: 11.1 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal2009: 12 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal2010: 13.1 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal2011: 14.2 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal2012: 15.2 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal2013: 16.3 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal2014: 17.8 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal2015: 19.1 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal2016: 19.9 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal2017: 21.6 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal2018: 23.2 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal2019: 24.6 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal2020: 26.2 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal2021: 28.5 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal2022: 29.4 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization (AQUASTAT), World Bank, and OECD (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal.

Analysis

In 2022, water productivity, gdp per cubic meter of freshwater withdrawal in China stood at 29.39 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal. That is the highest value across all 43 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.1% on the previous year and up 93.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, water productivity, gdp per cubic meter of freshwater withdrawal in China peaked at 29.39 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal in 2022 and was at its lowest, 0.9656 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal, in 1980.

That places China 81st out of 179 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 1.43 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal 0.9656 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal 2.02 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal 10
1990s 3.35 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal 2.08 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal 4.75 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal 10
2000s 8.11 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal 5.13 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal 11.96 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal 10
2010s 18.5 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal 13.14 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal 24.64 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal 10
2020s 28.04 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal 26.25 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal 29.39 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal 3

Countries ranked near China

  1. 78 Togo 35.12 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal compare
  2. 79 Hungary 33.73 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal compare
  3. 80 Mongolia 31.23 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal compare
  4. 82 Dominica 28.7 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal compare
  5. 83 Romania 28.22 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal compare
  6. 84 Central African Republic 28.05 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal compare

See the full ranking of 179 places →

More environment data for China

All data for China →

Frequently asked questions

What is water productivity, gdp per cubic meter of freshwater withdrawal in China?
Water productivity, gdp per cubic meter of freshwater withdrawal in China was 29.39 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal in 2022, according to Food and Agriculture Organization (AQUASTAT), World Bank, and OECD (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest water productivity, gdp per cubic meter of freshwater withdrawal recorded in China?
The highest recorded value was 29.39 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal in 2022.
What is the lowest water productivity, gdp per cubic meter of freshwater withdrawal recorded in China?
The lowest recorded value was 0.9656 constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal in 1980.
How does China rank for water productivity, gdp per cubic meter of freshwater withdrawal?
China ranks 81st out of 179 countries with data for 2022.
Is water productivity, gdp per cubic meter of freshwater withdrawal rising or falling in China?
Over the last ten years it is up 93.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this China data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization (AQUASTAT), World Bank, and OECD (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Water productivity, GDP per cubic meter of freshwater withdrawal. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Water productivity, GDP per cubic meter of freshwater withdrawal
Unit
constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization (AQUASTAT), World Bank, and OECD (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
179 places, 6,112 data points, 1962–2022
Last refreshed

Water productivity is calculated as total gross domestic product (GDP), measured in constant 2015 US$ divided by annual total water withdrawal.