Water withdrawals per capita in Laos
Laos: Water withdrawals per capita was 958.9 cubic meters per person in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
958.9 cubic meters per person
Change on year
down 1.4%
World rank
18th
of 180 countries
All-time high
1,154 cubic meters per person
in 2015
All-time low
595.11 cubic meters per person
in 2005
Years of data
19
2005–2023
Water withdrawals per capita in Laos, 2005–2023
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
In 2023, water withdrawals per capita in Laos stood at 958.9 cubic meters per person.
That represents a change of down 1.4% on the previous year and down 10.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, water withdrawals per capita in Laos peaked at 1,154 cubic meters per person in 2015 and was at its lowest, 595.11 cubic meters per person, in 2005.
That places Laos 18th out of 180 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 19 years of available data.
Water withdrawals per capita in Laos, year by year
| Year | cubic meters per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 595.11 cubic meters per person | — |
| 2006 | 661.73 cubic meters per person | +11.2% |
| 2007 | 726.36 cubic meters per person | +9.8% |
| 2008 | 789.08 cubic meters per person | +8.6% |
| 2009 | 849.94 cubic meters per person | +7.7% |
| 2010 | 909.03 cubic meters per person | +7.0% |
| 2011 | 966.45 cubic meters per person | +6.3% |
| 2012 | 1,022 cubic meters per person | +5.8% |
| 2013 | 1,076 cubic meters per person | +5.3% |
| 2014 | 1,129 cubic meters per person | +4.9% |
| 2015 | 1,154 cubic meters per person | +2.2% |
| 2016 | 1,109 cubic meters per person | -3.9% |
| 2017 | 1,043 cubic meters per person | -5.9% |
| 2018 | 1,027 cubic meters per person | -1.5% |
| 2019 | 1,016 cubic meters per person | -1.1% |
| 2020 | 1,000 cubic meters per person | -1.5% |
| 2021 | 986.15 cubic meters per person | -1.4% |
| 2022 | 972.35 cubic meters per person | -1.4% |
| 2023 | 958.9 cubic meters per person | -1.4% |
Laos compared with similar countries
- Laos's 958.9 cubic meters per person is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 178.62 cubic meters per person, 5.4× the median. (44 countries reporting)
- Laos's 958.9 cubic meters per person is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 570.08 cubic meters per person, 1.7× the median. (20 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 724.44 cubic meters per person | 595.11 cubic meters per person | 849.94 cubic meters per person | 5 |
| 2010s | 1,045 cubic meters per person | 909.03 cubic meters per person | 1,154 cubic meters per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 979.47 cubic meters per person | 958.9 cubic meters per person | 1,000 cubic meters per person | 4 |
Countries ranked near Laos
- 15 Puerto Rico 1,010 cubic meters per person compare
- 16 Suriname 979.35 cubic meters per person compare
- 17 New Zealand 960.21 cubic meters per person compare
- 19 Madagascar 957.18 cubic meters per person compare
- 20 Tajikistan 952.86 cubic meters per person compare
- 21 Canada 918.21 cubic meters per person compare
More environment data for Laos
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -1.77 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -1.51 Percentage change (2025)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 1.23 % 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)
- 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 5.19 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is water withdrawals per capita in Laos?
- Water withdrawals per capita in Laos was 958.9 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 Laos?
- The highest recorded value was 1,154 cubic meters per person in 2015.
- What is the lowest water withdrawals per capita recorded in Laos?
- The lowest recorded value was 595.11 cubic meters per person in 2005.
- How does Laos rank for water withdrawals per capita?
- Laos ranks 18th out of 180 countries with data for 2023.
- Is water withdrawals per capita rising or falling in Laos?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Laos 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.