Water withdrawals per capita in Sweden
Sweden: Water withdrawals per capita was 195.99 cubic meters per person in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
195.99 cubic meters per person
Change on year
down 0.6%
World rank
110th
of 180 countries
All-time high
506.42 cubic meters per person
in 1970
All-time low
195.99 cubic meters per person
in 2023
Years of data
54
1970–2023
Water withdrawals per capita in Sweden, 1970–2023
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
Sweden recorded 195.99 cubic meters per person for water withdrawals per capita in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 54 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.6% on the previous year and down 24.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, water withdrawals per capita in Sweden peaked at 506.42 cubic meters per person in 1970 and was at its lowest, 195.99 cubic meters per person, in 2023.
Sweden ranks 110th of 180 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 54 years of available data.
Water withdrawals per capita in Sweden, year by year
| Year | cubic meters per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 506.42 cubic meters per person | — |
| 1971 | 504.49 cubic meters per person | -0.4% |
| 1972 | 504.5 cubic meters per person | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 505.11 cubic meters per person | +0.1% |
| 1974 | 505.18 cubic meters per person | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 504.72 cubic meters per person | -0.1% |
| 1976 | 502.19 cubic meters per person | -0.5% |
| 1977 | 499.7 cubic meters per person | -0.5% |
| 1978 | 497.55 cubic meters per person | -0.4% |
| 1979 | 495.77 cubic meters per person | -0.4% |
| 1980 | 494.08 cubic meters per person | -0.3% |
| 1981 | 466.18 cubic meters per person | -5.6% |
| 1982 | 438.62 cubic meters per person | -5.9% |
| 1983 | 411.15 cubic meters per person | -6.3% |
| 1984 | 383.52 cubic meters per person | -6.7% |
| 1985 | 355.68 cubic meters per person | -7.3% |
| 1986 | 354.94 cubic meters per person | -0.2% |
| 1987 | 353.85 cubic meters per person | -0.3% |
| 1988 | 352.31 cubic meters per person | -0.4% |
| 1989 | 350.06 cubic meters per person | -0.6% |
| 1990 | 346.9 cubic meters per person | -0.9% |
| 1991 | 344.79 cubic meters per person | -0.6% |
| 1992 | 343 cubic meters per person | -0.5% |
| 1993 | 334.64 cubic meters per person | -2.4% |
| 1994 | 325.94 cubic meters per person | -2.6% |
| 1995 | 317.94 cubic meters per person | -2.5% |
| 1996 | 312.05 cubic meters per person | -1.9% |
| 1997 | 306.48 cubic meters per person | -1.8% |
| 1998 | 305.44 cubic meters per person | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 304.33 cubic meters per person | -0.4% |
| 2000 | 302.97 cubic meters per person | -0.4% |
| 2001 | 300.64 cubic meters per person | -0.8% |
| 2002 | 299.83 cubic meters per person | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 298.04 cubic meters per person | -0.6% |
| 2004 | 296.2 cubic meters per person | -0.6% |
| 2005 | 291.26 cubic meters per person | -1.7% |
| 2006 | 289.63 cubic meters per person | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 287.49 cubic meters per person | -0.7% |
| 2008 | 287.39 cubic meters per person | -0.0% |
| 2009 | 287.06 cubic meters per person | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 286.73 cubic meters per person | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 277.93 cubic meters per person | -3.1% |
| 2012 | 269.28 cubic meters per person | -3.1% |
| 2013 | 260.46 cubic meters per person | -3.3% |
| 2014 | 251.41 cubic meters per person | -3.5% |
| 2015 | 242.36 cubic meters per person | -3.6% |
| 2016 | 233.15 cubic meters per person | -3.8% |
| 2017 | 223.92 cubic meters per person | -4.0% |
| 2018 | 215.3 cubic meters per person | -3.8% |
| 2019 | 207.16 cubic meters per person | -3.8% |
| 2020 | 239.91 cubic meters per person | +15.8% |
| 2021 | 198.54 cubic meters per person | -17.2% |
| 2022 | 197.19 cubic meters per person | -0.7% |
| 2023 | 195.99 cubic meters per person | -0.6% |
Sweden compared with similar countries
- Sweden's 195.99 cubic meters per person is below the median for high income countries, which is 376.78 cubic meters per person, 52% of the median. (59 countries reporting)
- Sweden's 195.99 cubic meters per person is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 419.39 cubic meters per person, 47% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 502.56 cubic meters per person | 495.77 cubic meters per person | 506.42 cubic meters per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 396.04 cubic meters per person | 350.06 cubic meters per person | 494.08 cubic meters per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 324.15 cubic meters per person | 304.33 cubic meters per person | 346.9 cubic meters per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 294.05 cubic meters per person | 287.06 cubic meters per person | 302.97 cubic meters per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 246.77 cubic meters per person | 207.16 cubic meters per person | 286.73 cubic meters per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 207.91 cubic meters per person | 195.99 cubic meters per person | 239.91 cubic meters per person | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sweden
- 107 Mali 218.18 cubic meters per person compare
- 108 Bangladesh 209.19 cubic meters per person compare
- 109 Brunei 200.46 cubic meters per person compare
- 111 Switzerland 195.34 cubic meters per person compare
- 112 Nicaragua 186.79 cubic meters per person compare
- 113 Guatemala 183.4 cubic meters per person compare
More environment data for Sweden
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 1.1 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -2.12 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.852 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.72 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.27 % 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 -0.0922 % 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 Sweden?
- Water withdrawals per capita in Sweden was 195.99 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 Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 506.42 cubic meters per person in 1970.
- What is the lowest water withdrawals per capita recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 195.99 cubic meters per person in 2023.
- How does Sweden rank for water withdrawals per capita?
- Sweden ranks 110th out of 180 countries with data for 2023.
- Is water withdrawals per capita rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is down 24.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sweden 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.