Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Botswana
Botswana: Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals was 28.0% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Botswana, 1992–2022
Source: AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, FAO, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of total freshwater withdrawal.
Analysis
Botswana recorded 28.0% for agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 31 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 16.2% on the previous year and down 26.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Botswana peaked at 47.8% in 1992 and was at its lowest, 28.0%, in 2022.
Botswana ranks 129th of 180 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 31 years of available data.
Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Botswana, year by year
| Year | % of total freshwater withdrawal | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 47.8% | — |
| 1993 | 46.5% | -2.7% |
| 1994 | 45.4% | -2.3% |
| 1995 | 44.5% | -2.1% |
| 1996 | 43.7% | -1.8% |
| 1997 | 42.9% | -1.7% |
| 1998 | 42.3% | -1.5% |
| 1999 | 41.7% | -1.3% |
| 2000 | 41.2% | -1.2% |
| 2001 | 40.5% | -1.7% |
| 2002 | 39.9% | -1.7% |
| 2003 | 39.2% | -1.7% |
| 2004 | 38.6% | -1.7% |
| 2005 | 37.9% | -1.6% |
| 2006 | 37.9% | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 37.8% | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 37.8% | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 37.8% | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 37.7% | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 37.7% | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 38.2% | +1.5% |
| 2013 | 36.7% | -4.0% |
| 2014 | 35.1% | -4.3% |
| 2015 | 36.3% | +3.4% |
| 2016 | 40.2% | +10.8% |
| 2017 | 35.8% | -11.2% |
| 2018 | 39.0% | +9.1% |
| 2019 | 36.9% | -5.4% |
| 2020 | 37.0% | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 33.4% | -9.7% |
| 2022 | 28.0% | -16.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 44.4% | 41.7% | 47.8% | 8 |
| 2000s | 38.9% | 37.8% | 41.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 37.4% | 35.1% | 40.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 32.8% | 28.0% | 37.0% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Botswana
More agriculture & rural data for Botswana
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 4.45 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0178 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 138.54 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.0839 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3204 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 1.8% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 1.8% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.0% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.8% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Botswana?
- Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Botswana was 28.0% in 2022, according to AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, FAO, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals recorded in Botswana?
- The highest recorded value was 47.8% in 1992.
- What is the lowest agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals recorded in Botswana?
- The lowest recorded value was 28.0% in 2022.
- How does Botswana rank for agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals?
- Botswana ranks 129th out of 180 countries with data for 2022.
- Is agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals rising or falling in Botswana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 26.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Botswana data come from?
- The figures come from AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, FAO, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Agricultural water withdrawals as a percentage of total water withdrawals (which is the sum of water used for agriculture, industry and domestic purposes). Agricultural water is defined as the annual quantity of self-supplied water withdrawn for irrigation, livestock and aquaculture purposes.