Water withdrawals per capita in Spain
Spain: Water withdrawals per capita was 605.7 cubic meters per person in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
605.7 cubic meters per person
Change on year
down 0.2%
World rank
48th
of 180 countries
All-time high
1,184 cubic meters per person
in 1986
All-time low
605.7 cubic meters per person
in 2023
Years of data
49
1975–2023
Water withdrawals per capita in Spain, 1975–2023
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 Spain stood at 605.7 cubic meters per person. That is the lowest value across all 49 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.2% on the previous year and down 12.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, water withdrawals per capita in Spain peaked at 1,184 cubic meters per person in 1986 and was at its lowest, 605.7 cubic meters per person, in 2023.
That places Spain 48th out of 180 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 49 years of available data.
Water withdrawals per capita in Spain, year by year
| Year | cubic meters per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 1,008 cubic meters per person | — |
| 1976 | 1,019 cubic meters per person | +1.1% |
| 1977 | 1,029 cubic meters per person | +1.0% |
| 1978 | 1,040 cubic meters per person | +1.1% |
| 1979 | 1,052 cubic meters per person | +1.1% |
| 1980 | 1,063 cubic meters per person | +1.1% |
| 1981 | 1,084 cubic meters per person | +1.9% |
| 1982 | 1,105 cubic meters per person | +2.0% |
| 1983 | 1,127 cubic meters per person | +2.0% |
| 1984 | 1,150 cubic meters per person | +2.0% |
| 1985 | 1,172 cubic meters per person | +2.0% |
| 1986 | 1,184 cubic meters per person | +1.0% |
| 1987 | 1,134 cubic meters per person | -4.2% |
| 1988 | 1,085 cubic meters per person | -4.3% |
| 1989 | 1,037 cubic meters per person | -4.4% |
| 1990 | 989.9 cubic meters per person | -4.6% |
| 1991 | 941.28 cubic meters per person | -4.9% |
| 1992 | 926.34 cubic meters per person | -1.6% |
| 1993 | 911.26 cubic meters per person | -1.6% |
| 1994 | 896.9 cubic meters per person | -1.6% |
| 1995 | 882.99 cubic meters per person | -1.6% |
| 1996 | 869.4 cubic meters per person | -1.5% |
| 1997 | 855.91 cubic meters per person | -1.6% |
| 1998 | 867.75 cubic meters per person | +1.4% |
| 1999 | 879.45 cubic meters per person | +1.3% |
| 2000 | 890.79 cubic meters per person | +1.3% |
| 2001 | 878.22 cubic meters per person | -1.4% |
| 2002 | 860.6 cubic meters per person | -2.0% |
| 2003 | 855.91 cubic meters per person | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 834.73 cubic meters per person | -2.5% |
| 2005 | 865.04 cubic meters per person | +3.6% |
| 2006 | 809.47 cubic meters per person | -6.4% |
| 2007 | 781.54 cubic meters per person | -3.4% |
| 2008 | 762.58 cubic meters per person | -2.4% |
| 2009 | 776.1 cubic meters per person | +1.8% |
| 2010 | 752 cubic meters per person | -3.1% |
| 2011 | 745.5 cubic meters per person | -0.9% |
| 2012 | 779.29 cubic meters per person | +4.5% |
| 2013 | 689.59 cubic meters per person | -11.5% |
| 2014 | 703.14 cubic meters per person | +2.0% |
| 2015 | 675.05 cubic meters per person | -4.0% |
| 2016 | 668.08 cubic meters per person | -1.0% |
| 2017 | 642.09 cubic meters per person | -3.9% |
| 2018 | 624.49 cubic meters per person | -2.7% |
| 2019 | 615.88 cubic meters per person | -1.4% |
| 2020 | 608.65 cubic meters per person | -1.2% |
| 2021 | 607.93 cubic meters per person | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 606.75 cubic meters per person | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 605.7 cubic meters per person | -0.2% |
Spain compared with similar countries
- Spain's 605.7 cubic meters per person is above the median for high income countries, which is 376.78 cubic meters per person, 1.6× the median. (59 countries reporting)
- Spain's 605.7 cubic meters per person is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 419.39 cubic meters per person, 1.4× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1,029 cubic meters per person | 1,008 cubic meters per person | 1,052 cubic meters per person | 5 |
| 1980s | 1,114 cubic meters per person | 1,037 cubic meters per person | 1,184 cubic meters per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 902.12 cubic meters per person | 855.91 cubic meters per person | 989.9 cubic meters per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 831.5 cubic meters per person | 762.58 cubic meters per person | 890.79 cubic meters per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 689.51 cubic meters per person | 615.88 cubic meters per person | 779.29 cubic meters per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 607.26 cubic meters per person | 605.7 cubic meters per person | 608.65 cubic meters per person | 4 |
Countries ranked near Spain
More environment data for Spain
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -1.67 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -1.4 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.402 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.3 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -0.4277 % 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 -0.5136 % 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 water withdrawals per capita in Spain?
- Water withdrawals per capita in Spain was 605.7 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 Spain?
- The highest recorded value was 1,184 cubic meters per person in 1986.
- What is the lowest water withdrawals per capita recorded in Spain?
- The lowest recorded value was 605.7 cubic meters per person in 2023.
- How does Spain rank for water withdrawals per capita?
- Spain ranks 48th out of 180 countries with data for 2023.
- Is water withdrawals per capita rising or falling in Spain?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Spain 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 49 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Water withdrawn each year for agriculture, industry, and municipal uses, divided by the population.