Annual freshwater withdrawals, domestic in South Africa
South Africa: Annual freshwater withdrawals, domestic was 17.4% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Annual freshwater withdrawals, domestic in South Africa, 1990–2022
Source: AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in % of total freshwater withdrawal.
Analysis
In 2022, annual freshwater withdrawals, domestic in South Africa stood at 17.4%.
The figure is down 35.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual freshwater withdrawals, domestic in South Africa peaked at 30.5% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 15.1%, in 2018.
That places South Africa 99th out of 180 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.
Annual freshwater withdrawals, domestic in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % of total freshwater withdrawal | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 17.1% | — |
| 1991 | 18.5% | +7.8% |
| 1992 | 19.8% | +7.3% |
| 1993 | 21.2% | +6.9% |
| 1994 | 22.6% | +6.5% |
| 1995 | 24.0% | +6.2% |
| 1996 | 25.3% | +5.4% |
| 1997 | 26.6% | +5.2% |
| 1998 | 27.9% | +4.9% |
| 1999 | 29.2% | +4.7% |
| 2000 | 30.5% | +4.5% |
| 2001 | 30.2% | -1.1% |
| 2002 | 29.9% | -1.0% |
| 2003 | 29.6% | -1.0% |
| 2004 | 29.3% | -1.0% |
| 2005 | 29.0% | -1.0% |
| 2006 | 28.7% | -1.0% |
| 2007 | 28.5% | -0.9% |
| 2008 | 28.2% | -0.9% |
| 2009 | 27.9% | -0.9% |
| 2010 | 27.7% | -0.9% |
| 2011 | 27.5% | -0.9% |
| 2012 | 27.2% | -0.8% |
| 2013 | 27.0% | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 23.2% | -14.2% |
| 2015 | 20.0% | -13.7% |
| 2016 | 19.8% | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 20.1% | +1.2% |
| 2018 | 15.1% | -24.8% |
| 2019 | 16.7% | +10.4% |
| 2020 | 16.2% | -2.8% |
| 2021 | 17.4% | +7.6% |
| 2022 | 17.4% | +0.0% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 17.4% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 18.5%, 94% of the median. (52 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 17.4% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 26.7%, 65% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 23.2% | 17.1% | 29.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 29.2% | 27.9% | 30.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 22.4% | 15.1% | 27.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.0% | 16.2% | 17.4% | 3 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More infrastructure data for South Africa
- Mobile cellular subscriptions 114.79 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions 179.34 per 100 people (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions 1.01 million (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions 1.58 per 100 people (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, per capita 0.0158 units per person (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, annual growth rate -25.13 % change on previous year (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, gaps filled 1.01 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, per capita 1.79 units per person (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual freshwater withdrawals, domestic in South Africa?
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, domestic in South Africa was 17.4% in 2022, according to AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest annual freshwater withdrawals, domestic recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 30.5% in 2000.
- What is the lowest annual freshwater withdrawals, domestic recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.1% in 2018.
- How does South Africa rank for annual freshwater withdrawals, domestic?
- South Africa ranks 99th out of 180 countries with data for 2022.
- Is annual freshwater withdrawals, domestic rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 35.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as part of Annual freshwater withdrawals, domestic (% of total freshwater withdrawal). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 33 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Annual freshwater withdrawals refer to total water withdrawals, not counting evaporation losses from storage basins. Withdrawals also include water from desalination plants in countries where they are a significant source. Withdrawals can exceed 100 percent of total renewable resources where extraction from nonrenewable aquifers or desalination plants is considerable or where there is significant water reuse. Withdrawals for domestic uses include drinking water, municipal use or supply, and use for public services, commercial establishments, and homes. Data are for the most recent year available for 1987-2002.