Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Canada
Canada: Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals was 10.7% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Canada, 1991–2022
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
The most recent figure for agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Canada is 10.7%, measured in 2022.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 4.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Canada peaked at 11.7% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 5.6%, in 2007.
That places Canada 144th out of 180 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 32 years of available data.
Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Canada, year by year
| Year | % of total freshwater withdrawal | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 8.9% | — |
| 1992 | 9.0% | +1.9% |
| 1993 | 9.2% | +1.9% |
| 1994 | 9.4% | +1.9% |
| 1995 | 9.5% | +1.9% |
| 1996 | 9.7% | +1.9% |
| 1997 | 9.4% | -3.0% |
| 1998 | 9.1% | -3.2% |
| 1999 | 8.8% | -3.2% |
| 2000 | 8.5% | -3.4% |
| 2001 | 8.1% | -4.9% |
| 2002 | 7.7% | -5.2% |
| 2003 | 7.3% | -5.4% |
| 2004 | 6.9% | -5.7% |
| 2005 | 6.4% | -6.0% |
| 2006 | 6.0% | -6.4% |
| 2007 | 5.6% | -6.8% |
| 2008 | 5.6% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 5.6% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 11.7% | +108.3% |
| 2011 | 11.0% | -6.1% |
| 2012 | 10.2% | -7.2% |
| 2013 | 9.4% | -8.2% |
| 2014 | 8.5% | -9.6% |
| 2015 | 7.5% | -11.3% |
| 2016 | 9.1% | +21.2% |
| 2017 | 10.6% | +17.0% |
| 2018 | 10.7% | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 10.7% | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 10.7% | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 10.7% | -0.4% |
| 2022 | 10.7% | +0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 9.2% | 8.8% | 9.7% | 9 |
| 2000s | 6.8% | 5.6% | 8.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.9% | 7.5% | 11.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.7% | 10.7% | 10.7% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Canada
More agriculture & rural data for Canada
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 31.61 % change on previous year (2022)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0193 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2022)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 1,092 current US$ per person (2022)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.0803 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1712 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 1.9% (2022)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 1.9% (2022)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.9% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.7% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Canada?
- Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Canada was 10.7% 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 Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 11.7% in 2010.
- What is the lowest agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.6% in 2007.
- How does Canada rank for agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals?
- Canada ranks 144th out of 180 countries with data for 2022.
- Is agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Canada 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.