Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in China
China: Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals was 62.1% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in China, 1980–2022
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
China recorded 62.1% for agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in 2022.
That represents a change of down 3.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in China peaked at 88.2% in 1980 and was at its lowest, 61.2%, in 2019.
China ranks 87th of 180 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 43 years of available data.
Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in China, year by year
| Year | % of total freshwater withdrawal | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 88.2% | — |
| 1981 | 87.9% | -0.3% |
| 1982 | 87.6% | -0.3% |
| 1983 | 87.3% | -0.3% |
| 1984 | 87.0% | -0.3% |
| 1985 | 86.3% | -0.8% |
| 1986 | 85.6% | -0.8% |
| 1987 | 85.0% | -0.8% |
| 1988 | 84.3% | -0.8% |
| 1989 | 83.6% | -0.8% |
| 1990 | 83.0% | -0.8% |
| 1991 | 81.1% | -2.2% |
| 1992 | 79.3% | -2.2% |
| 1993 | 77.6% | -2.2% |
| 1994 | 76.3% | -1.7% |
| 1995 | 75.0% | -1.7% |
| 1996 | 73.7% | -1.7% |
| 1997 | 72.5% | -1.7% |
| 1998 | 71.3% | -1.7% |
| 1999 | 70.0% | -1.7% |
| 2000 | 68.8% | -1.7% |
| 2001 | 68.0% | -1.2% |
| 2002 | 67.1% | -1.2% |
| 2003 | 66.3% | -1.3% |
| 2004 | 65.4% | -1.3% |
| 2005 | 64.6% | -1.3% |
| 2006 | 64.3% | -0.5% |
| 2007 | 63.0% | -1.9% |
| 2008 | 63.3% | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 63.5% | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 62.5% | -1.6% |
| 2011 | 62.4% | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 64.3% | +3.0% |
| 2013 | 64.5% | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 64.6% | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 64.4% | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 62.4% | -3.1% |
| 2017 | 62.3% | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 61.4% | -1.5% |
| 2019 | 61.2% | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 62.1% | +1.6% |
| 2021 | 62.1% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 62.1% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 86.3% | 83.6% | 88.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 76.0% | 70.0% | 83.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 65.4% | 63.0% | 68.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 63.0% | 61.2% | 64.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 62.1% | 62.1% | 62.1% | 3 |
Countries ranked near China
More agriculture & rural data for China
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 1.98 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0666 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 923.03 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -1.48 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3366 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 6.7% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 6.7% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.3% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 2.7% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in China?
- Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in China was 62.1% 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 China?
- The highest recorded value was 88.2% in 1980.
- What is the lowest agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 61.2% in 2019.
- How does China rank for agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals?
- China ranks 87th out of 180 countries with data for 2022.
- Is agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this China 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.
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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.