Water withdrawals per capita in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Water withdrawals per capita was 81.96 cubic meters per person in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
81.96 cubic meters per person
Change on year
down 2.6%
World rank
147th
of 180 countries
All-time high
100.48 cubic meters per person
in 2007
All-time low
77.59 cubic meters per person
in 2002
Years of data
22
2002–2023
Water withdrawals per capita in Ethiopia, 2002–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – AQUASTAT (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in cubic meters per person.
Analysis
Ethiopia recorded 81.96 cubic meters per person for water withdrawals per capita in 2023.
The figure is down 2.6% on the previous year and down 17.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, water withdrawals per capita in Ethiopia peaked at 100.48 cubic meters per person in 2007 and was at its lowest, 77.59 cubic meters per person, in 2002.
That places Ethiopia 147th out of 180 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 22 years of available data.
Water withdrawals per capita in Ethiopia, year by year
| Year | cubic meters per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 77.59 cubic meters per person | — |
| 2003 | 85.68 cubic meters per person | +10.4% |
| 2004 | 93.24 cubic meters per person | +8.8% |
| 2005 | 100.31 cubic meters per person | +7.6% |
| 2006 | 100.43 cubic meters per person | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 100.48 cubic meters per person | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 100.47 cubic meters per person | -0.0% |
| 2009 | 100.42 cubic meters per person | -0.0% |
| 2010 | 100.32 cubic meters per person | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 100.13 cubic meters per person | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 99.91 cubic meters per person | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 99.71 cubic meters per person | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 99.49 cubic meters per person | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 99.2 cubic meters per person | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 98.86 cubic meters per person | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 96.18 cubic meters per person | -2.7% |
| 2018 | 93.62 cubic meters per person | -2.7% |
| 2019 | 91.14 cubic meters per person | -2.7% |
| 2020 | 88.7 cubic meters per person | -2.7% |
| 2021 | 86.36 cubic meters per person | -2.6% |
| 2022 | 84.13 cubic meters per person | -2.6% |
| 2023 | 81.96 cubic meters per person | -2.6% |
Ethiopia compared with similar countries
- Ethiopia's 81.96 cubic meters per person is above the median for low income countries, which is 64.29 cubic meters per person, 1.3× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Ethiopia's 81.96 cubic meters per person is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 59.54 cubic meters per person, 1.4× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 94.83 cubic meters per person | 77.59 cubic meters per person | 100.48 cubic meters per person | 8 |
| 2010s | 97.86 cubic meters per person | 91.14 cubic meters per person | 100.32 cubic meters per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 85.29 cubic meters per person | 81.96 cubic meters per person | 88.7 cubic meters per person | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ethiopia
- 144 Botswana 88.7 cubic meters per person compare
- 145 Guinea-Bissau 88.24 cubic meters per person compare
- 146 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 83.91 cubic meters per person compare
- 148 Tanzania 77.82 cubic meters per person compare
- 149 Palestine 73.21 cubic meters per person compare
- 150 Luxembourg 68.94 cubic meters per person compare
More environment data for Ethiopia
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.272 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.39 °C (2025)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.2 % 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 (2012)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) (Mt CO2e), per 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) (Mt CO2e), per 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) (Mt CO2e), annual 1.74 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is water withdrawals per capita in Ethiopia?
- Water withdrawals per capita in Ethiopia was 81.96 cubic meters per person in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – AQUASTAT (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest water withdrawals per capita recorded in Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 100.48 cubic meters per person in 2007.
- What is the lowest water withdrawals per capita recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 77.59 cubic meters per person in 2002.
- How does Ethiopia rank for water withdrawals per capita?
- Ethiopia ranks 147th out of 180 countries with data for 2023.
- Is water withdrawals per capita rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ethiopia data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – AQUASTAT (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Water withdrawals per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Water withdrawn each year for agriculture, industry, and municipal uses, divided by the population.