Water Consumption by Country 2024

Water is important for humans for many reasons. Not only does it keep us hydrated, but it can also provide us with several valuable health benefits. It can also help improve the way some of our organs function. Naturally, water is consumed around the globe, but some countries consume more of it than others. In this article, we will learn more about the statistics that involve water consumption by country in 2023.

While India uses the most freshwater every year, it's currently Canada that has the highest annual water withdrawal per capita rate. 959.96 m3 of water is withdrawn on an annual basis in Canada. 75.92% of that is used by industries while 13.43% is used by municipalities. There was also an additional 10.65% that was used for agriculture.

Argentina is the next country on the list. They withdraw 835.92 m3 worth of water per year, but the majority, 73.93%, of it is used for agricultural purposes. Industries use 10.59% and municipalities use 15.48%. Another country that also uses the majority of the water they withdraw for agriculture purposes is the third country on the list, Pakistan. 93.98% of the country's 830.50 m3 worth of water withdraws every year is used for agriculture.

Thailand, which withdraws 821.00 m3 worth of water each year, is next on the list. 90.37% of Thailand's water usage goes toward agriculture. The final country in the top five water-consuming countries in the world is Indonesia. The country currently uses 85.21% of its 813.95 m3 water withdrawal per capita for agriculture. Municipalities use 10.69% and industries use 4.1%.

The remaining countries on the top ten list include the Philippines at 783.59 m3 annually, Egypt at 757.32 m3 annually, Saudi Arabia at 746.60 m3 annually, Mexico at 694.53 m3 annually, and Spain at 620.69 m3 annually. As with the other countries above them, these countries all use the majority of their water for agricultural purposes.

Along with countries that have a high water consumption rate, there are also many countries that use very little water every year. The Maldives, for example, only withdraws 10.91 m3 per capita of water annually. The country uses none of that water for agricultural purposes. Instead, municipalities use 94.92% of the water the country withdraws annually.

Other countries that use little to no water per year include Suriname, Guyana, Comoros, Equatorial Guinea, Djibouti, and Lesotho. All of these countries withdraw less than 21 m3 per capita of water annually.